Etymology Theories vary on how the city got its modern name of
Windhoek. Most believe it is derived from the
Afrikaans words and . Another theory suggests that Captain
Jonker Afrikaner named Windhoek after the
Winterhoek Mountains at
Tulbagh in South Africa, where his ancestors had lived. The first known mention of the name
Windhoek was in a letter from Jonker Afrikaner to Joseph Tindall, dated 12 August 1844.
Early settlement In 1840
Jonker Afrikaner established an Orlam settlement at Windhoek. He and his followers stayed near one of the main hot springs, located in the present-day
Klein Windhoek suburb. He built a stone church that held 500 people; it was also used as a school. Two
Rhenish missionaries,
Carl Hugo Hahn and
Franz Heinrich Kleinschmidt, started working there in late 1842. Two years later they were driven out by two Methodist
Wesleyans, Richard Haddy and Joseph Tindall. Gardens were laid out and for a while Windhoek prospered. A series of wars between the
Nama and
Herero tribes eventually destroyed the settlement. After a long absence, Hahn visited Windhoek again in 1873 and was dismayed to see that nothing remained of the town's former prosperity. In June 1885, a Swiss
botanist found only
jackals and starving
guinea fowl amongst neglected fruit trees.
Colonial era , one of the three castles of Windhoek A request by merchants from
Lüderitzbucht resulted in the declaration in 1884 of a German
protectorate over what was called
German South West Africa (
Deutsch-Südwestafrika), now Namibia. The borders of the German colony were determined in 1890 and Germany sent a protective corps, the
Schutztruppe under Major
Curt von François, to maintain order. Von François stationed his garrison at Windhoek, which was strategically situated as a buffer between the warring
Nama and
Herero peoples. The twelve strong springs provided water for the cultivation of produce and grains. Colonial Windhoek was founded on 18 October 1890, when von François fixed the foundation stone of the fort, which is now known as the
Alte Feste (Old Fortress). After 1907, development accelerated as indigenous people migrated from the countryside to the growing town to seek work. More European settlers arrived from Germany and South Africa. Businesses were erected on Kaiser Street (presently
Independence Avenue), and along the dominant mountain ridge over the city. At this time, Windhoek's three castles,
Heinitzburg,
Sanderburg, and
Schwerinsburg, were built.
South African administration after World War I The German colonial era came to an end after the end of
World War I but
South West Africa, and with it Windhoek, had already fallen in 1915. Until the end of the war, the city was administered by a South African military government, and no further development occurred. In 1920, after the
Treaty of Versailles, the territory was placed under a
League of Nations Class C mandate and again administered by South Africa. After
World War II, more capital became available to improve the area's economy. After 1955, large public projects were undertaken, such as the building of new schools and hospitals, tarring of the city's roads (a project begun in 1928 with Kaiser Street), and the building of dams and pipelines to stabilise the water supply. On 1 October 1966, the then Administrator of South West Africa granted Windhoek the coat of arms, which was registered on 2 October 1970 with the South African Bureau of Heraldry. Initially a stylized aloe was the principal emblem, but this was amended to a natural aloe (
Aloe littoralis) on 15 September 1972. The Coat of Arms is described as "A Windhoek aloe with a
raceme of three flowers on an island. Crest: A mural crown
Or. Motto: SUUM CUIQUE (
To each their own)". Windhoek formally received its
town privileges on 18 October 1965 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the second foundation of the town by von François. In 1971, the
Namibian general contract workers strike started from Windhoek with the goal of abolishing the contract labour system, opposing
apartheid, and promoting Namibia's independence.
Since Namibian independence Since independence in 1990, Windhoek has remained the national capital, as well as the provincial capital of the central
Khomas Region. Since independence and the end of warfare, the city has had accelerated growth and development. ==Economy ==