Warden is a town situated along the N3 National Route in the north-eastern region of the Free State province in South Africa.
The town is situated 52 km north-west of Harrismith and 102 km south-east of Villiers along the N3 Highway on the route between Johannesburg and Durban. Warden is thus more often used as a hallmark stop to fill up with petrol, and a burger and chips at the one-stop shop.
Warden is also the northern terminus of the R714 Regional Route, at an intersection with the N3.
Warden was laid out in 1912 on a farm named Rietvlei, proclaimed in 1913, and attained municipal status in 1920. The town was named after Charles Frederick Warden, a former magistrate of Harrismith from 1884 to 1900.
The farming area around Warden produces a big part of South Africa’s potatoes, maize and red meat.
The town has one of the largest Dutch Reformed Churches in South Africa, with seating for 1,750 people. This church is even larger than the Sydney Opera House and one of the biggest stone churches in the southern hemisphere.
Warden makes a good overnight stop, particularly during spring when the cosmos is out on the roadside, the foothills of the Drakensberg just visible in the far distance.
Warden forms part of the Grasslands Meander, an arts and crafts, food and accommodation route that centres on the flat grasslands of the northern Free State including all the small town in the area. The area is awash with farmstays, guest houses, B&Bs, hiking, craft shops, art galleries, restaurants, nature reserves and picnic spots.
