Bloemfontein (Fountain of flowers), is the judicial capital of South Africa. It is also the capital of the Free State Province. Bloemfontein was founded in 1846 and now has a population of around half a million people.
J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings was born in Bloemfontein in 1892.
In 1923, the African National Congress (ANC) political party was founded in Bloemfontein.
Today, Bloemfontein is a compact city surrounded by sprawling suburbs.
Happily, the city centre is safe to walk around during the day, but many of the city's activities are focused on the Waterfront and Mimosa malls and on the large sporting complex. Second Avenue, north of the Waterfront mall, has the majority of the city's bars and restaurants.
Bloemfontein Airport is just outside the city and a number of flights to major South African cities take off from here, operated by South African Airways and SA Airlink and Mango airlines fly to Cape Town.
Bloemfontein is a major rail junction in the middle of South Africa. From here, Spoornet operates regular trains to all points of the country: south to Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London and Mthatha, west to Kimberley, north to Johannesburg and east to Durban and Pietermaritzburg.
The train station is in the city centre, on the corner of Maitland and Harvey streets.
The N1, N6 and N8 national highways meet in Bloemfontein, making it easily reachable from any part of the country.
The N1 northbound from Bloemfontein towards Gauteng is a toll road.
Distances
Bloemfontein-Johannesburg: 398 km
Bloemfontein-Cape Town: 1004 km
Bloemfontein-Maseru: 137 km
Bloemfontein-Port Elizabeth: 677 km
Bloemfontein-Kimberley: 160 km

Maselspoort is an ideally central venue, situated on the shady banks of the Modder River, 23 km outside Bloemfontein and just 13 km from the airport. For many years a favourite oasis for Bloemfontein city dwellers, it is easily accessible by road from the Free State, and by air from the Witwatersrand and the coast. A fisherman's paradise, Maselspoort offers a choice of leisure facilities - including swimming pool, in a peaceful environment. The area in the Free State in which Maselspoort is situated, is called the "Transgariep" (beyond the Orange). The Transgariep is a barren, dry area and it is clear why a holiday resort on the banks of the Modder River was such a welcome addition to Bloemfontein's attractions in 1933. Since then Maselspoort has had various owners and presently it is in the hands of two local boys who grew up on the farm next door. Along with the resort and its facilities, we hope to sell off plots of land to permanent residence, either to be utilized as a holiday, or permanent home. There are various facilities available for conferences, school reunions, sporting occasions, car exhibitions, as well as for a quiet weekend or midweek get-away.