laid the foundation stone of the fort, known as the Alte Feste (Old Fortress). Windhoek developed slowly until after 1907, when the town developed more rapidly with the arrival of more settlers from Germany and South Africa. Kaiser Street (now Independence Avenue) became a centre for business establishment. Houses were built along Windhoek’s dominant ridge, including three castles.
fresh water springs discovered in the area. Sometime around 1849, Captain Jan Jonker Afrikaner settled at the strongest spring located in the present-day Klein Windhoek. It was then called “/Ai-//Gams” (Fire Water) by the Nama people and “Otjomuise” (Place of Steam) by the Ovaherero people – in reference to the hot springs. Some historians believe that Afrikaner named Windhoek after the Winterhoek Mountains near Tulbagh in South Africa, where his ancestors had lived.
A period of prosperity and growth followed, after which wars destroyed many establishments. The South West Africa territory was declared a German protectorate in 1884 with colony borders determined in 1890. A German garrison was stationed at Windhoek and strategically situated as a buffer between the warring Namas and Ovaherero. The 12 springs provided water for the cultivation of food. The present Windhoek was founded on 18 October 1890 when Major Curt Von Francois
World War One ended the German colonial era after South African troops occupied Windhoek on 12 May 1915 for Britain. Development then came to a standstill after South West Africa came under military administration for five years. Windhoek’s development gradually increased after the end of World War Two. After 1955, extensive public projects were undertaken, including the building of schools, hospitals roads, dams and pipelines. Independence in 1990 awoke notable investment into the city of Windhoek and saw expansion of suburbs and infrastructure upgrades.
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