South Africa Holiday: Bloemfontein

Although Bloemfontein has a reputation for its flowers, particularly the abundance of roses at the annual rose festival, it is situated in an otherwise arid region.

Speculation has it that Bloemfontein's name was derived from the large number of flowers that grew around an old fountain or spring on a farm which belonged to a Voortrekker named Johannes Nicolaas Brits.

While for Brits the requirements were sufficient water and fertile soil, it was Major Henry Douglas Warden, the British Resident in Griqua territory, who in 1846 chose to settle in the centrally situated spot in the vast, dry plains. It was due to the absence of horse sickness, the spacious open country and the close proximity of the main route to Winburg that this was considered an ideal situation. At that time the region was occupied by various groups of peoples including  Trek Boers from the Cape, Griqua and Basotho.

Between 1848 and 1854 the region was called the Orange River Sovereignty and then from 1854 to 1902 the Orange Free State Republic. From 1902 to 1910 Bloemfontein served as the capital of the Orange River Colony, and from 1910 as the provincial capital of the Orange Free State (known simply as the Free State since the first free elections in 1994).

In 1899, the city was the site of the Bloemfontein Conference, which failed to prevent the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War. The conference was a final attempt to avert a war between Britain and the Transvaal; with its failure the stage was set for the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902).

The rail line from Cape Town, built in  1890, proved to be of critical importance to the British in capturing and occupying the city. On 13 March 1900 the British forces captured the city and built a concentration camp nearby to house captured women and children. The National Women's Memorial, on the outskirts of the city, pays homage to the 45,000 women and children, including up to 17,000 Africans, who died in these camps.

With the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, Bloemfontein became the "judicial capital" of South Africa and the seat of the highest court in the land, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

On 8 January 1912 the South African Native National Congress (renamed in 1926 the African National Congress) held its first conference in Bloemfontein, and Sol Plaatje was elected its first General Secretary.

Graceful charm is to be seen all along the historic tree-lined President Brand Street, a declared national monument. Stately museum buildings stand proudly visible at the ends of the bustling main streets in the business district, while small monuments and memorials are preserved, even in built-up suburbs.