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Cape Cross and the
Diogo
Cao Exploration.
This is the desolate and remote
rocky outcrop of land at latitude 26°47' South on which
Diogo Cao
the Portuguese Explorer Navigator erected a limestone Padrao (Cross)
in January 1486. Thus marking the furthest point south that any European had
been known to travel. The discoveries made on this voyage were the foundation
for the planning and voyage, in 1487-1488, by Bartolomeu Dias who rounded the
Cape of Good Hope at latitude 34º 22'S.
The Padrao of
Diogo Cao was to stand a lonely vigil for over
four centuries...
The German
Period:
In August 1884 Captain von Raven
of the German ship 'Wolf' landed at Cape Cross Bay where his crew
erected a wooden sign proclaiming German sovereignty. However, the
landing party failed to notice the Padrao of
Diogo Cao. The Padrao was to remain
undiscovered until late January 1893 when Captain Becker of the German
Naval Cruiser 'Falke' and his men were ashore surveying the area. They
found the Padrao laying over at an angle and protruding only 1.8
meters out of the sand. Becker realized the importance of a find of
this historical landmark of Cape Cross and replaced it with a 5 meter wooden double
cross that would allow for an easier sighting from ships at sea. He
arranged for the Padrao to be shipped to Germany, where it was placed
at the Naval Academy ay Keil. The Kaiser ordered that a similar stone
cross be carved, but depicting the Kaiser's Crest along with the
advice "Erected at the command of the German Kaiser and King of
Prussia Wilhelm ll 1894 on the site of the original which was
weathered by the years". This command was fulfilled on 27 January 1895 by
Capt. Reinecke of the Naval Cruiser SMS Sperba, but the stone cross was placed 15 meters south east of the 5m high wooden cross.
The
'Kaiser's Padrao stood alone at Cape Cross until In 1980 when the
National Monuments Council of Namibia commissioned an exact replica of
the Diogo Cao Padrao to be carved from Namibia Dolerite and be erected
on the exact, original site of the Diogo Cao Padrao. This was unveiled
on 12th October 1980 by the Administrator General. Thus the reason for
the two crosses that can be seen on the site to this day.
The Location of the original Padrao at
In Germany the Diogo Cao Padrao was again moved from Kiel to the Oceanographical
Museum in Berlin, which was later destroyed by allied bombing in 1944.
It has since been relocated and now stands in the New Hall - Deutsches
Technikmuseum, Berlin.
The Technical details of the Padrao
The Padroes comprise of two parts, as did the
original. The upright pillar sections have a hole drilled down the
centre from the top face. At the time of erecting the Padrao, the
crucifix section was positioned into the hole and
molten lead was poured in to secure it in place.
The 'Kaiser' Padrao: is
2.6m in height, and is made from black granite
The Namibia Padrao: is
3.5m in height, and is made from Dolerite
The Diogo
Cao Padrao: Dimensions are shown on the left. Approx weight
360kg
Cape Cross is 115km north of Swakopmund You need to
budget 4-5 hours from the return journey. The site is managed by the Namibia Ministry
of Environment and Tourism; Office hours 10:00 to 17:00
Entry Fees Payable
Of Interest: The Damaraland Guano Company
Ltd. exploited the guano deposits and established the
first rail transport system in Namibia as early as 1895. The train moved the guano a few short kilometres to a
loading jetty from where the guano was shipped out. Cape Cross has the largest
Cape Fur Seal colony on any mainland
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