Situated in the heartland of South Africa, Bloemfontein, capital of the Free State and seat of the province’s parliament, is also the judicial capital of South Africa. It lies at the hub of six major routes that traverse the country. An altitude of 1,400 metres means that summers are moderate and winters mild to cool.

The city was named after a fountain, west of the present business district, where early travellers stopped on their treks through the interior. The city’s history, and many of the stately old sandstone buildings, is firmly connected with the Afrikaners’ struggle for independence. In 1854, when Major Henry Warden, the region’s official British representative, was recalled to the Cape, the Afrikaners established a republic with Bloemfontein as their capital.

President Brand Street is lined with many fine old sandstone buildings, such as the Appeal Court, built in 1929, opposite the Fourth Raadsaa, which now houses the Free State’s provincial legislature. This brick-and-stone building was constructed around 1893, during the presidency of Frederick Reitz.