A brief history of The Elegant Farmstead

Otjisazu is the original name of the Farm which is today The Elegant Farmstead.

The name Otjisazu is derived from the red cattle of an old Herero man who used to live there (ozosazu = red oxen). The place is 115 m higher in altitude than Okahandja and situated 1520 m above sea level 21º, 56’17" east. The station was built on the right bank of a small river which has its source in the mountain above Okahandja in the east and which flows into the Swakop two hours below Otjosazu at Ozoserekaze "the old honored lady". Otjosazu then had a good river source which streamed for a quarter of an hour with rich gardening land on either bank and a beautiful mimosa forest on its left bank, particularly near Okandjira. The grazing land was good with rainfalls of 350 mm in good years and 150 mm in bad years. There was no lack of ostrich, leopard, hyena, wolves and jackals. Ostrich troops often came into the plains of the place. Snakes were found there, too. The 5-6 m long Ondara lived on the Ondrohungu Mountains for some time, scarring us with her presence.

During a conference of the Rhenish Mission Society held in 1871 it was decided that the young Missionary J.Irle should build a station with the aim to convert the Herero and Mbanderu people under Chief Kukuri to Christian faith. Irle stayed on Otjosazu together with his wife for 31 years. He gained profound insight into the life and traditions of the Herero people which made him the best qualified expert of the Herero culture at his time. When the Herero rose against the German colonial power in 1904, Irle was one of the few people from Africa who informed the public in Germany about the reasons and causes of the rebellion. Irle’s successor on Otjisazu was Missionary Brockmann who lived through the Herero rebellion there. Senior Chief Samuel Maherero had passed a resolution which protected non-German whites and German women, children and missionaries against harm. In the following events, Missionary Brockmann was requested by the Herero on 29 January 1904 to leave Otjosazu and to go to Okahandja. Like all surrounding missionary stations Otjosazu was also looted and destroyed.