Grootfontein

Grootfontein is located in the northwestern part of Namibia, at an altitude of 1,460 meters above sea level, in the Otavi Mountains. Together with the cities of Otavi and Tsumeb , Grootfontein forms the so-called “Otavi triangle” - a developed agricultural region in the Otavi mountains, where at least 500 mm of rain falls annually.

Grootfontein administratively enters the Ochosondjupa region and is the center of one of the districts (election districts) in it. The population of the city is 29 thousand people (as of 2010 ), the area of ​​Grootfontein district is 26 520 km², the number of inhabitants of the district is about 345 thousand people, mainly belonging to the Damar and Herero peoples. The main economic items in Grootfontein County are copper mining and the smelting industry, as well as cattle breeding. The main attractions of the city are the Drachenhaukhloh cave and the 60-ton Goba meteorite stored here.

Grootfontein was founded in 1885 by a group of 40 Boer migrant families who arrived here after a long trek from Transvaal via South Africa and Angola , and recaptured this land from local ovambo tribes. In 1895, the city ​​came under the jurisdiction of a joint Anglo-German mining company. In the same year, a German military detachment is located here and a fort is being built, in the building of which there is now a city museum.

During the Herero uprising in 1904 in the area of ​​Grootfontein (20 kilometers from the city), the Germans defeated one of the rebel troops that ravaged a number of surrounding farms and killed German immigrants. In June 1915 , during the First World War, the city, the last stronghold of German troops in South West Africa , was occupied by the South African army. In 1947 Grootfontein receives city status.

•   Suzhou