page_title: Warmbad, Namibia
section_title: Pre-colonial period
hierarchical_section_title: Warmbad, Namibia / History / Pre-colonial period
caption_attribution_description: For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Kaserne in Warmbad
context_page_description: Warmbad is a settlement located in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is situated south of Karasburg at the Homs River, close to the border with South Africa, and belongs to the Karasburg electoral constituency.
  First occupied by traders, hunters, and missionaries of different congregations, the hot springs from which the settlement's name is derived were first exploited at the beginning of the 20th century and are now being developed into a tourist attraction. Recently, uranium was discovered in the area.
  Climatically, Warmbad lies between the coastal desert and the Karoo. There is winter frost and very little rainfall, the mean medial temperature lies between 12 and 15 degrees.
context_section_description: Warmbad was first named in 1760 by scout Jacobus Coetzee, the first documented European to cross the Oranje River into the South West African territory that today forms the state of Namibia. At that time it served as stop-over for traders, adventurers and large game hunters from the South African Cape Colony. In 1805 two missionaries from the London Missionary Society, Abraham and Christian Albrecht, initiated the erection of a church and a pastor's house, thereby establishing the first mission station in South West Africa in 1806. This year is assumed as the foundation of the settlement.
  These two buildings were the first European-style buildings on South West African soil. The local Orlam community under the leadership of Jager Afrikaner soon became angry about the European influence and destroyed both buildings in 1811. Until the rediscovery of ǁKhauxaǃnas which was built before the advent of the 19th century the oldest structure in Namibia was assumed to be the Schmelenhaus in Bethanie, erected in 1814.
  In 1834, Wesleyan missionary Edward Cook entered the area and erected a new missionary building on the foundations of the destroyed buildings. Scientist Sir James Edward Alexander lived in one of its rooms during his stay in 1836. In the 1840s Benjamin Ridsdale was stationed here and embarked on several journeys to nearby Orlam communities. He referred to Warmbad as Nisbett Bath. In 1867 the Rhenish Missionary Society took over operations in Warmbad. A school was built in 1868, and a new church in 1877.
caption: Warmbad barracks, early 20th century
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