Kroonstad (Afrikaans for Crown City, pronounced [krūn'stät]) is the third-largest city the Free State province of South Africa and lies two hours drive from Gauteng.

Kroonstad was established in 1855 by the Irish pioneer Joseph Orpen, and was the first town founded after the independence of the Orange Free State. While "Kroon" means crown, this was in fact the name of a horse that had drowned in the nearby ford. A lover of animals, Orpen had witnessed the incident, and named the infant settlement in honour of the unfortunate creature. Similarly, the ford in question came to be known as Kroondrift.