South Africa/FS: Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the capital of the Free State and is actually one of the tree judicial capitals of South Africa (the other two are Pretoria and Cape Town). The name “Bloemfontein” translates as “Fountain of Flowers” or “Flower Spring” in Dutch and Afrikaans. Founded in 1846 by Major Henry Douglas Warden, Bloemfontein initially served as a British outpost.It later became the capital of the independent Orange Free State Republic before being integrated into South Africa. Main attraction here are a set of Victorian architecture historical buildings, starting with the Fourth Raadsaal from 1893 (city council), Bloemfontein City Hall, National Museum, Anglican Cathedral of St. Andrew. While the buildings are pretty, sadly the city overall feels pretty grim and decaying – bums and homeless everywhere, lots of seemingly abandoned buildings right in the center, and all poles and walls are covered with ads for absorption and erection cure.