Welkom
| Welkom | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 27 ° 59 ′ S , 26 ° 44 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | South Africa | ||
| free State | |||
| District | Lejweleputswa | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | ZA-FS | ||
| local community | Matjhabeng | ||
| surface | 167.6 km² | ||
| Residents | 64,130 (2011) | ||
| density | 382.8 Ew. / km² | ||
| founding | 1947 | ||
 Welkom City Center
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Welkom [ vɛlkɔm ] (“Welcome” in Afrikaans ) is a town in the Matjhabeng municipality , Lejweleputswa district in South Africa . In 2011 it had 64,130 inhabitants. Several townships are located near Welkom: Thabong with 126,013 inhabitants, Riebeeckstad with 11,268 and Hani Park with 9600 inhabitants. Welkom is 160 kilometers from the provincial capital Bloemfontein .
Welkom is one of the youngest and at times fastest growing cities in South Africa. It owes its growth to a gold discovery in 1946. After its founding in 1947, Welkom became the center of the South African gold industry. 21 percent of the gold mined worldwide comes from Welkom. In addition to gold, uranium is mined and steel , wood and beef are produced. Other facilities include two technical universities, a small airport and a connection to the railway line between Johannesburg and Cape Town .
Welkom was designed from the start as a model city for the workers in the gold mines. A special feature in this context is the horseshoe-shaped business and administrative center located in a 45 km² park. Over a million trees have been planted in the urban area.
Welkom first received municipal rights in 1961 and full city rights in 1968 . Today Welkom is the seat of the municipal administration. Even after the end of apartheid in South Africa in the early 1990s, most of the blacks in Welkom live in the nearby township of Thabong.
tourism
The City Hall is worth seeing . In Welkom's modern town hall, an exhibition provides an overview of the city's history and gold mining in the region. The Publicity Clock Tower , a 60 meter high clock tower with 196 steps, provides a view of the city and the surrounding area.
The Gold Museum is housed in the city library and represents the first gold discovery and the subsequent mining in this area. The foundation of the city and the local flora and fauna are also presented. Guided tours are offered through the six gold mines still active in the area.
Since the late 1990s, car races have been held every weekend on the Goldfield Course in summer .
A flamingo colony lives west of the center of Welkom.
Daughters and sons of the city
- Stephen Brislin (* 1956), Catholic clergyman and Archbishop of Cape Town
- Mark Shuttleworth (* 1973), IT entrepreneur and first African in space
- Yolandi du Toit (* 1985), racing cyclist
Web links
- Information at places.co.za (English)