Welkom, the second largest city in the Free State, is the center of the gold- and uranium-mining region in the northwest of the province (which produces around 30% of South Africa's total output of gold). The town was founded in 1947 and laid out as a garden city. The modern business center is surrounded by extensive parks and gardens, and on the outskirts of the city are artificial lakes, formed from water pumped up from the mines, which have become an oasis for water birds.
100km/62mi northwest of Welkom is the Bloemhof Dam, another popular recreation area. The Vaal River has been dammed here to create a huge artificial lake, and the area round the lake has been declared a nature reserve.
Southwest of Winburg is the Erfenis Dam Nature Reserve (area 3,308 ha/8,171ac), with facilities for water sports on the lake, a camping site and picnic areas. A small separate area is home to black wildebeests, red hartebeests, mountain reedbucks, steppe zebras, springboks and blesboks.
The town of Virginia (pop. 95,000), 20km/12.5mi southeast of Welkom on the Sand River, also lives by gold- and uranium-mining. It is the second largest town in the mining region and the fourth largest in the province. The gold-mines, now closed down, have become an attraction for visitors, who can also watch performances of tribal dances there.
Winburg (pop. 8,000), 90km/56mi southeast of Welkom, is the oldest town in the Free State (founded in 1842) and was originally its capital. The leaders of five voortrekker groups met in Ford's Hotel (still in existence) and resolved to found the Free State. The event is commemorated by the Voortrekker Monument (3km/2mi from the town center) and a small museum.
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