What's in a name?
Until about 50 years ago when the demand on drinking
water was much less than today, the underground water at Windhoek was tapped
by artesian wells and came out of the ground at temperatures so hot that it
was channeled through a series of coolers before being distributed into the
city's piped system. The demands from an expanding population lowered the
water table, and in modern times Windhoek's water is mainly supplied from
the S. Von Bach Dam situated at Okahandja.
Before the white man came to Namibia. the Nama people
referred to the area as Ai-Gams which means "fire water". The Herero poeple
called the area Otjimuise, meaning "place of smoke" referring to the steam
that rose form the hot springs.
When the Oorlam Warlord Jonker Afrikaner, who
originated from the Klaver district of the Western Cape Province of South
Africa settled here in 1840 he named the area Windhoek. There was a larger
settlement in what is now Windhoek proper, and a smaller settlement in what
is now referred to as Klein (small) Windhoek.
The Germans renamed the area Windhuk in 1903 and at
the time they also referred to the two areas as being separate and know as
Grosse and Klein WIndhuk.
Following the 1st World War the South Africans, who
were given the mandate over the territory, renamed the area Windhoek in 1919
and it has remained so until today.
As with most cities worldwide, Windhoek also has a minority criminal
element that tends to prey on visitors, so before proceeding with your
journey please read the following ►Your
Awareness and Safety