Bloemfontein

Though historically a !Orana and Barolong settlement, and then a Boer settlement, Bloemfontein was officially founded in 1846 as a fort by British Army major Henry Douglas Warden as a British outpost in the Transoranje region, at that stage occupied by various groups of peoples including !Orana (so-called "Korana" of the ǀHõaǁʼaes, ǀHũdiǁʼaes, Einiǁʼaes, and others), Cape Colony Trekboers, Griqua (at that time known as "Baasters") and Barolong. Warden initially chose the site primarily because of its proximity to the main route to Winburg, the spacious open country, and the absence of horse sickness. Bloemfontein was the original farm of Johannes Nicolaas Brits, born on 21 February 1790, owner and first inhabitant of Bloemfontein. Johann – as he was known – sold the farm to Major Warden. He later bought what would later become the town of Brits, North West. …

Bloemfontein is located in central South Africa on the southern edge of the Highveld at an elevation of 1,400 metres (4,600 ft), bordering on the semi-arid region of the Karoo. The area is generally flat with occasional hills ("koppies" in Afrikaans), and the general vegetation is Highveld grassland. Bloemfontein experiences a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with hot summer days and cool, dry winters with frosty nights. Rainfall usually arrives in the summer months, often in the form of dramatic but short-lived afternoon/evening thunderstorms that serve as a temporary relief from the heat. The city tends to be dry and dusty in winter with freezing nights and mostly mild, sunny days. Frost is very common but snow is rare. Snowfall was reported in August 2006 with snowfalls occurring again at the airport on 26 July 2007. …

Bloemfontein has a large and diverse Christian population. The city houses several churches and denominations: It is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of the Free State Afrikaans Baptist Church (Afrikaans: Afrikaanse Baptiste Kerk) Dutch Reformed Church (Afrikaans: Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk) Sacred Heart Cathedral in Bloemfontein is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bloemfontein Seventh-day Adventist Church, Southern African headquarters. Christian Revival Church. New Covenant Ministries International had a church called Fountainhead led by Chris Gerber. It was a New Testament Church known as Fountainhead Church International. Later, this church merged with Doxa Deo Bloemfontein, now the combined church's name. The city also has a large Jewish population, established in the mid-19th century. …