- Braamfontein
Braamfontein is a central suburb of
Johannesburg , inSouth Africa . It is well located, straddling Jan Smuts Avenue and Empire Road. The newNelson Mandela bridge is a landmark that connects Braamfontein to the city. Braamfontein is supported by a cultural arc that includesNewtown , Wits University,Constitution Hill and theCivic Centre .Early History
The name Braamfontein dates from at least as early as 1853, when this farm to the north-west of Randjeslaagte belonged to Gert Bezuidenhout. In that year he applied to the government to have his farm surveyed. Barely five years later, in 1858, Gert sold his farm to FJ Bezuidenhout.
Like so many farms on the
Witwatersrand , Braamfontein was subdivided early on, indicating a fairly dense population in the area. Two other Bezuidenhouts, Gerhardus Petrus and Cornelis Willem, each purchased one third of the farm in 1862, and a third part went to Frans Johannes van Dijk. Between 1862 and 1886 different portions were further subdivided, at escalating prices.Three other well-known owners were Johannes Jacobus Lindeque, who in 1884, bought a section where the Country Club was established in 1906, and Frans Eduard and Louwrens Geldenhuys, both personalities in Afrikaner circles in Johannesburg.
The first suburb established on the farm Braamfontein in 1888-1889 was unofficially named after the farm, in reality being an official extension of Johannesburg proper. Today this area is still called Braamfontein. There was, however, an earlier but unsuccessful effort to create a suburb prior to this.
A Central Suburb of Johannesburg
Founded in the early twentieth century as a neighbourhood of Johannesburg, the area encouraged large commercial development during the
apartheid era. After the abolition ofwhite rule the area began degrading, however, due to interventions by both thecity of Johannesburg and large corporate business the Braamfontein Management District is a reflection of what urban renewal can take place in an inner-city district.Situated north of the city centre, Braamfontein is the fourth-largest node supplying office space in the city of Johannesburg. Strategically linking Newtown and Braamfontein to form the 'Cultural Arc', is the majestic Nelson Mandela Bridge, a gateway into Joburg's city centre. Braamfontein is South Africa's foremost receiving house of live entertainment, home to four South African-based multinationals, the City Council and South Africa's premier educational institution, the University of the Witwatersrand. The area has been given a new lease on life with the district's regeneration initiative headed by the Johannesburg Development Agency and property owners. Through the establishment of the Braamfontein Management District and the launch of the Braamfontein brand, this precinct has been transformed into an appealing and safe corporate district, educational centre, and entertainment and arts hub.
Arts and Entertainment
Braamfontein is Johannesburg's central hub for arts and entertainment hosting most of South Africa's most celebrated Musicians, Artists and famous people. The
Johannesburg Civic Theatre is one of the prime theatres and has a daily visitor count of 1200 people and proudly boasts of housing the only Nelson Mandela Theatre worldwide!Braamfontein explosion
On
February 16 1895 , a train containing 56 tonnes of dynamite exploded in Braamfontein, killing 78 people.External links
* [http://www.braamfontein.org.za/ Braamfontein Management District]
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