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National Heritage Council of Namibia
PRESERVING TODAY FOR TOMORROW
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Cases
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044/1968
Group
SiteHeader
SiteID:
126
FullSiteName:
Replica of Original Cross at Cape Cross
SiteCategory:
Monuments & Memorials
ReferenceList:
Citation
Type
Date Retrieved
Official Gazette 2937, No. 69, 1968. Vogt, Andreas, "National Monuments in Namibia", Windhoek 2004, p. 45-47. National Monument Council, Cape Cross, Windhoek 1980.
Newspaper
23/04/2015
Group content visibility:
Public - accessible to all site users
Author:
Anonymous (not verified)
Post date:
23/04/2015
Featured Site?:
NO
LocationInfo
Location:
21° 47' 0.6" S
,
14° 0' 16.56" E
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General
Edit this page/section of the recording
PrimaryRecording?:
Yes
SiteReference:
044/1968
RecordingDate:
Thursday, April 23, 2015 - 09:27
Recorders:
Nora Schmidt
Directions:
Close to the coast within the Cape Cross Seal Reserve. On the costal road about 53 km north of Hentiesbai within the Seal Reserve (entrance fees, office hours).
SiteComments:
Part of the heritage site is the first replica and the site of the original cross. The replica has a German inscription and an engraved eagle. On the initiative of the HMC, a second replica after the original was made of dolomite and unveiled on 22.10.1980 at the position of the original cross. Three circular and half-circular platforms were designed by François Malan. Three information stones were placed in 1986 in commemoration of diogo cao's journey of discoveries. In 1484, a padrão, a limestone pillar topped by a cross, has been erected by the Portuguese seafarer Diogo Cão. On his search for a sea route to India, this was the southernmost place were he planted a cross. When the Germans occupied the land in 1883-1884, a wooden noticeboard was erected. In 1893, when Captein Becker investigated the possibility of establishing a harbour at Cape Cross, he took the cross, that was weathering away, to Duala, Cameroon, from where it was shipped to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, and became part of the collection of the "Kaiserliche Marineakademie" and given on permanent loan to the today Humboldt University. It finally arrived at the German Museum for Technology in Berlin. Namibia and Portugal attempted to get it back. Wilhelm II ordered a granite replica of the cross which was erected 15m from the original place on 23.01.1895. In 1980 an additional cross made from Namibian dolerite was erected on the exact spot, unveiled on 11/10/1980. The cross is the oldest artifact known that documents a contact between Europeans and Namibia.
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SiteImages
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Declarations
National Monument
Gazette Date:
01/11/1968
Gazette No: 69
Recordings
RecordingID#
RecordingDate
044/1968 - 23/04/2015
23/04/2015