Bethanie, Namibia
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Bethanie is a small town in southern Namibia, and is ranked as one of the oldest settlements in the country. It lies on the road between Keetmanshoop and Lüderitz.
As missionaries started travelling north from the Cape Colony in the early 1800s, they established mission stations on their way. The London Missionary Society founded the town, but, because of a shortage of missionaries and presumably because of the cooperation between the London and Rhenish Missionary Society at the time, they instead sent a German. Reverend Heinrich Schmelen built his Schmelenhause in 1814, now considered the oldest building in Namibia, and currently a National Monument and memorabilia museum.
In 1822, Schmelen left Bethany after becoming dissatisfied with his missionary work among the local tribes, who refused his repeated and impassioned pleas to attend church.
The original original church was built in 1859, and also still stands today.
In 1883, Bethanie was the scene of the historical first recorded deed of sale at the house of Namaqua chief Josef Frederiks, when Heinrich Vogelsang purchased Angra Pequeña and some of the surrounding land on behalf of Adolf Lüderitz, the German representative at the time. The town of Lüderitz would later develop on this land.
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