Heilbron

History

In 1836, the Voortrekkers fought off the local people of Ndebele Chief Mzilikazi at the Battle of Vegkop near the present town of Heilbron. This historical site boasts a monument and a contemporary museum which are both popular stops for battle field tourists. Heilbron was officially established in 1873. The town was founded at the site of a perennial natural fountain, thus the name 'Heilbron' (Afrikaans for 'Spring of Bliss'). The fountain is the source of a small stream which runs through the town. Various small groups of people have lived on the banks of the stream for centuries. After Bloemfontein was conquered by the British forces during the Anglo-Boer War (on 13 March 1900), Heilbron was proclaimed as the capital of the independent Boer Republic of the Orange Free State. A few weeks after the fall of Bloemfontein, Heilbron was also occupied, and President Steyn moved the capital to Frankfort, another town in the northern Free State. By 18 May 1900, the Orange Free State was defeated, annexed by Britain and renamed the "Orange River Colony". Many Boer fighters refused to surrender. The area surrounding Heilbron was rife with guerilla activity. In order to subdue those Boers who continued to fight, the British High Command attempted to cut the guerilla army off from its source of provisions. Boer farms were razed and concentration camps, such as the one in Heilbron, were built to house the Boer women, children and non-combatant labourers who provided support to the Boer fighters. The camps were ill-planned and thousands of Boer civilians died of starvation, disease and exposure. The black population were not spared either. Today the Heilbron concentration camp is used as a private school. A monument to commemorate the victims of the camps can be found in the…

Most-observed species

• Cape Wagtail

  Motacilla capensis Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  134
• White-browed Sparrow-Weaver

  Plocepasser mahali A.Smith, 1836 · Aves
  90
• Long-tailed Widowbird

  Euplectes progne (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  86
• Southern Fiscal

  Lanius collaris Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  85
• Blacksmith Lapwing

  Vanellus armatus (Burchell, 1822) · Aves
  84
• Ring-necked Dove

  Streptopelia capicola (Sundevall, 1857) · Aves
  81
• African Pipit

  Anthus cinnamomeus Rüppell, 1840 · Aves
  79
• Southern Red Bishop

  Euplectes orix (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  78

Most recent

• M 3.5 — 2023-09-09
  10 km ENE of Koppies, South Africa
• M 3.6 — 2023-04-16
  14 km SSE of Potchefstroom, South Africa
• M 4.4 — 2022-12-11
  8 km W of Orange Farm, South Africa
• M 4.3 — 2022-03-05
  14 km S of Westonaria, South Africa
• M 4.1 — 2021-12-16
  7 km ESE of Fochville, South Africa
• M 4.3 — 2021-06-12
  16 km S of Westonaria, South Africa