Kroonstad

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The town of Kroonstad, the third-largest town in Free State province of South Africa, lies two hours drive from Gauteng. It was established in 1855. In the 1991 census it had a population of 110,963. The main industry is agriculture. A caravan park and many more camp sites on the banks of the willow-lined Vals River are frequented by anglers and watersport enthusiasts.

Folklore has it that the town was named for a horse named Kroon (crown), belonging to Voortrekker Sarel Cilliers, which drowned in a stream on the site of the present town. From 13 March-11 May 1900 it was the capital of the Orange Free State. The British built a concentration camp here during the Second Boer War to house Boer women and children.