Safari Holidays to South Africa and Namibia for independent travellers.

A group Oorlams from the Cape Province under the leadership of Jager Afrikaner originally crossed the orange river into present day Namibia in the early 19th century to escape the reach of the Cape Province's authorities who were chasing Afrikaner who had killed his white employer in a dispute over wages.

Jager's son, Jonker Afrikaner, became leader of the Oorlams after his father's death in 1823, and over the next 17 years Afrikaner established his people as the dominant force in south and central Namibia, and started the small settlement that was to become Windhoek in 1940.

There is some debate as to the origin of the name - some say that he named the settlement Windhoek, or 'Windy Corner' which referred to the wind that was always present, whilst others claim that he originally named the settlement Winterhoek after the farm in the Cape where his forefathers had originated from. 

Either way, the settlement became known as Windhoek and has remained that ever since.

The town was abandoned shortly after Afrikaner's death in 1861, and whilst missionaries made some use of the original buildings in the 1870s, it was not until 1890, after Namibia had been declared a German protectorate, that colonial troops under the command of Major Curt von Francois, moved into Windhoek.

They immediately began building a fort to act as the headquarters of the Schutztruppe. 

The Alte Fest (Old Fort)

The Alte Fest, or Old Fort, is the oldest surviving building in Windhoek,and is set in a commanding position overlooking the city and  houses the National Museum of Namibia. 

Its whitewashed walls now house the National Museum of Namibia, which covers the history of Namibia from its early occupation by the San, through its colonisation by Germany, the discovery of diamonds, rule from South Africa, and finally independence.

Built between 1907 and 1910 by the Germans, inside there are several plaques remembering the German soldiers who died during the many wars in the country. A colony grew up around the fort, and the first traders arrived in 1891. 

The completion of a railway in 1902 between Windhoek and the coastal port of Swakopmund meant that trade could flourish, and the town evolved as the country's economic and business centre