The National Archives of Namibia (NAN) is the national archives of

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, located in

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 20 ...

. It was established in 1939 and shares a building with the

National Library of Namibia The National Library of Namibia (NLN) is the legal deposit and copyright library for Namibia. The library is situated in Windhoek. NLN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education ...

. NAN belongs to the National Library and Archives service of the Namibian government, in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.

History

The

Imperial German ', literally translated "Germans of the ", is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the Germ ...

administration of German South West Africa established a record-keeping system at the

Tintenpalast The Parliament Building, Windhoek, also known as ''Tintenpalast'' ( German for ''Ink Palace''), is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of Namibia (the National Council and the National Assembly). It is located in the Namibian capital of W ...

building, the seat of successive parliaments. In 1939 the ''South West Africa Archives Depot'' was founded by the

South African government The Republic of South Africa is a parliamentary republic with three-tier system of government and an independent judiciary, operating in a parliamentary system. Legislative authority is held by the Parliament of South Africa. Executive authority ...

of South West Africa. German documents surviving

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

were incorporated. In 1957 the Archives moved into the building of the

Windhoek Public Library The Windhoek Public Library is a public library in downtown Windhoek, Namibia. Built in 1925, it is located in Lüderitz Street, sharing a building with the ''Owela'' strand of the National Museum of Namibia The National Museum of Namibia is a hist ...

in Lüderitz Street. After

Namibian independence The history of Namibia has passed through several distinct stages from being colonised in the late nineteenth century to Namibia's independence on 21 March 1990. From 1884, Namibia was a German colony: German South West Africa. After the First W ...

in 1990 the Archives was administered by the Government of Namibia, mandated by the Archives Act (Act #12 of 1992). In 2000 was moved into its current building in

Eugène Marais Eugène Nielen Marais (; 9 January 1871 – 29 March 1936) was a South African lawyer, naturalist, poet and writer. He has been hailed as an intellectual genius and an Afrikaner hero. His early years, before and during the Boer War Marais w ...

Street in downtown Windhoek, where the

is also situated.

Records

In 1993 the Archives held 5,600 maps, 61,000 photographs, 2,000 audio cassettes, 450 films and a complete collection of all local newspapers from 1897 to 1962.''The role of the Namibian National Archives and coordination with private archives in Namibia''
Coordination of Information Systems and Services in Namibia
Papers of the Seminar (Windhoek, Namibia, February 25-March 5, 1993). Of particular importance are the '' Hendrik Witbooi Papers'', inscribed in the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Memory of the World Register – Africa The first inscriptions on the UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in educ ...

, the Hoachanas Peace Treaty of 1858, and the ''Vaderlike Wette'' of the

Baster The Basters (also known as Baasters, Rehobothers or Rehoboth Basters) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from white European men and black African women, usually of Khoisan origin, but occasionally also enslaved women from the Cape, ...

s of Rehoboth. In 2022 the Archives counted 6,000 maps and building plans, 40,000 photos and 30,000 audiovisual items. Government and court records occupy more than of shelves.

External links

Official website
National Archives of Namibia

References

{{Authority control

Archives in Namibia Educational institutions established in 1939 1939 establishments in South West Africa History of Namibia Government of Namibia

History

Records

See also

External links

References