| The first people to settle in the
area were the Voortrekkers around 1838. When Natal was pronounced
a British Colony in 1843, most farmers left. These farms however,
bear their original “Boer” names to this day.
In the 1850’s, 13 “cotton planer”
families from Osnabrücker Bergthelis in New Germany settled in the
area, founding New Hanover. In 1854, the first missionaries and colonialists
of the Hermannsburg Mission left the “Lüneburger Heide” (Germany)
for Natal (South Africa) on the sailing vessel, “Kandaze” commissioned
by the Rev. Louis Harms. They settled in what became known as Hermannsburg,
70 kilometers from Wartburg. Relatives and friends, mostly from the hanover
district followed suit, attracted by the favourable reports. New
settlements arose in which the Lutheran faith and the German language and
culture were nurtured.
The area’s income is generated mainly
by the cultivation and processing of sugar cane, mealies and timber.
About 250 farmers transport sugar cane to two sugarmills which process
approximately 200 000 tons of sugar cane annually. The growing kiwifruit
and avocado export industrie necessitated the recently erected refrigeration
and packaging plants.
Churches: There are two Lutheran,
one Roman-Catholic and one Apostolic church in the village. Methodist,
Anglican and Dutch Reformed churches are in the vicinity.
The Wartburger Hof, a three star
country inn, was erected in 1984 and offers 20 double bedrooms. The
discerning guest relaxes in comfortable, rustic lounges and dining rooms
reflecting carefree, personal attention or plunges into the swimmingpool.
The Wartburger coat-of-arms depicts:
-
The arrival of immigrants by sailing
vessel
-
A heraldic portrayal of Wartburg castle
in Eisenach (Germany), where Dr. Martin Luther translated the Bible into
the German language, the rose of Luther and the watchword “pray and work”.
These words were inscribed on the churchbell
of Kirchdorf in 1881 and remembered o this day.
This information is provided by Wartburger
Hof. |
