This town in the Northern Free State is not named (and misspelled) after Heilbronn in Germany. 

But rather named as such because of the fountains of fresh water found on the banks of the Elandsspruit. 

From Dutch, 'bron' is a fountain and 'heil' means healthy. 

Also related to Heilbron, check out the following pages: Groenvlei, a place with a German Lutheran church, Weilbach farm, a farm just outside Heilbron with history and Vegkop, a historical site dating back to the Voortrekkers.

Boer Settlers and local tribes fought bitterly over the area in the mid 1800’s before the Boer’s beat back the Ndebele and Zulu warriors and officially established Heilbron in 1890. 

Today it is a quiet town, surrounded by maize, wheat and sunflower fields, working and holiday farms, as well as game lodges, many situated on two conservancies established to preserve and restore the natural environment and heritage of the area, which also constitute a major part of the tourism profile of Heilbron and the surrounding area.

The Ghoya Africa Conservancy and the Francolin Creek Conservancy both offer hiking trails, 4×4, mtb, horse riding, birding, fishing, game drives, accommodation and proxy wine cellars that sell Western Cape Wines and are part of the ‘Riemland Wine Route’.  

Read more about Heilbron here and by clicking here.