Information
Landmark: National Women's MemorialCity: Bloemfontein
Country: South Africa
Continent: Africa
National Women's Memorial, Bloemfontein, South Africa, Africa
Overview
In Bloemfontein, South Africa, the National Women’s Monument stands in solemn tribute to the roughly 27,000 Boer women and children who perished in British concentration camps during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899–1902), its sandstone walls etched with their names.The monument honors those who endured disease, hunger, and cramped, airless barracks, bearing both the hardship and the strength it took to survive.The monument, unveiled on December 16, 1913, was the work of architect Frans Soff, while its striking central bronze figure-gleaming even in winter light-came from the hand of famed artist Anton van Wouw.At the center stand two grieving women; one cradles a small child against her shoulder, a stark image of the deep loss these families have endured.The sculptures capture the war’s heavy toll on women and children, their silent grief-like a mother clutching an empty shawl-long ignored in the official story of the conflict.Two low walls stand on either side of the central sculpture, each etched with the names of women and children who died in the camps.These inscriptions let visitors honor each person by name, creating a direct, human link to those who died-like seeing a single carved letter catch the afternoon light.Rising 37 meters-about the height of a 12-story building-the monument towers over the landscape, sharp against the sky.The National Women’s Monument was born from a deep urge to honor the immense, often forgotten loss Boer women and children endured during the war-graves marked only by weathered stones still tell their story.safePresident M. T. Steyn and fellow Boer leaders launched a nationwide effort to honor the war’s victims, an undertaking that ultimately gave rise to the monument.It formed part of a wider effort to remember the Anglo-Boer War and the mark it left on South African life, from scarred battlefields to stories passed down around kitchen tables.The National Women’s Monument carries deep meaning in South Africa, honoring a painful chapter of its past while also helping to heal old wounds, much like the slow mending of a torn flag.This is the world’s first monument devoted entirely to women and children lost in war, a rare place where remembrance and healing meet in the quiet curve of stone.In the Free State, the monument holds Provincial Heritage Site status and draws people eager to explore South Africa’s tangled history, especially the shadow left by the Anglo-Boer War, when rifles cracked across open veld.It’s a quiet place to pause and remember, where the pain of the past is faced and given its due.Perched on a rise just south of Bloemfontein, the monument gives you sweeping views of the land-golden fields stretching as far as you can see.Sitting just a short walk from the Anglo-Boer War Museum, it adds depth to the visit, helping you grasp the war’s history with the museum’s worn maps and faded photographs still fresh in your mind.Visitors can wander through the monument and its quiet grounds, where the air feels still and heavy with respect.The site welcomes visitors Monday through Friday, and on weekends it opens for just a few shorter hours-enough time to catch the morning light on the old brick walls.Locals and tourists still flock here, drawn by the chance to trace the Boer War’s history and feel its lasting mark on South African life, from weathered memorials to faded photographs.The National Women’s Monument holds deep historical and educational value, and it’s also become a powerful emblem of resilience-not only for the Boer community but for the entire nation-its stone walls still echoing the grit and endurance of those who survived one of South Africa’s bleakest times.
