Genadendal

Province

Genadendal is a place in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. In 2001, he had 5,663 inhabitants. It is located approximately 110 kilometers east of Cape Town in the Overberg district at the foot of Riviersonderendberge with the peaks Uitkykkop ( German: " view header ", 1466 meters high ) and the Jonaskop ( German: " Jonas head ", 1648 meters high). On Jonaskop you will find the world's largest number of naturally occurring Protea.

History

Genadendal was the first mission station in southern Africa. The German missionary Georg Schmidt was sent in 1737 by the Moravian Church in South Africa to preach the gospel to the Khoikhoi. Genadendal was established in 1738 after Schmidt ( German: " Paviansschlucht " ) even on 23 April 1738 in the Baviaanskloof was drawn. Schmidt was expelled from the country in 1744, officially because the bell in Genadendal disturbed the community in Stellenbosch 100 kilometers away and Schmidt was not an ordained minister. As the fundamental reason is that Schmidt had begun to inform the resident in Genadendal become natives and escaped slaves in reading and writing. These factors have been educated than many farmers in the area.

1792 came the successor Schmidt, the ordained ministry Marsveld, Schwinn and Kühnel, after Genadendal. They found nor the Khoikhoi woman Vehettge Tikkuie called Moeder Lena, before that could read from the left by Schmidt Bible.

1820, the second solid stone bridge in the Cape in Genadendal over the Sonderendrivier was ( German: "river without end " ) inaugurated with the name leg Brecht Bridge. Johann Daniel leg Brecht was 1815-1824 pastor in Genadendal and a sideline coppersmith.

1831 the first school was built, founded in 1837 the first school in South Africa for teachers and national agents. This building now houses the Moravian Mission museum. 1883 were ordained missionaries for the first time three former pupils of the school assistants. 1891, the first non-white teachers were employed at the school itself assistants.

In 1859 set up printing ( Genadendalse Drukkery ) the first Afrikaans- pressure products were created in South Africa. The also "Kitchen Dutch " said mixture of the Dutch dialect of the Boers and the languages ​​of their slaves was a kind of lingua franca with which masters and slaves agreed. This led to the present Afrikaans, the native language of the descendants of both sides.

The Moravian Mission Museum is the only museum in South Africa, whose content has been declared a national treasure. Nelson Mandela called the main office of the President of South Africa in Cape Town in order Genadendal. On October 10, 1995, he visited Genadendal.

Genadendal in the literature

In 1966 the dissertation by Bernhard Krüger under the title The Pear Tree Blossoms, The History of the Moravian Church in South Africa from 1737 to 1869, which describes the history of the Moravian Church in South Africa from 1737 to 1869.