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Ox
wagon leaves for one last trek |
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| In
conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the
Maltahöhe Hotel a historic ox wagon will
go on its last trek across the dusty plains of
southern Namibia. On the 17th May the wagon will
be drawn 11 kilometers from the farm Hutupsdrift
to the C19 gravel road (by car). On the following
day the trek will continue to Maltahöhe,
where the wagon will find it’s final resting
place in front of the local hotel. This part of
the journey will be accompanied donkey and horse
carts, as well as the traffic authorities. This
event will culminate in a party at the hotel. |
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The restored
historical ox wagon is the last one ever built in Maltahöhe
by master blacksmith Albert Maraun, who started his
operations in 1911 and was succeeded by his sons Alfred
and Ernst in the latter part of the 1940’s. They
renamed the business to Maraun’s Garage, which
still exists to this day. The wagon has a weight of
1,5 tons and is six metres long and measures 1,5 metres
across. The wheels have a diameter of 1,1 metres (front)
and 1,5 metres (back). The brakes are operated by means
of a crankshaft situated at the rear end of the wagon. |
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The wagon was
initially commissioned by local farmer and businessman
Hans Gebser. He insisted on having wooden wheels fitted,
despite the option of rubber being available. It was
mainly used to transport building materials for the
farm houses of Hutupsdrift and Niederhagen. After it’s
served is purposes it rested in the shade of an eucalyptus
tree on Hutupsdrift for a couple of decades. In 2006
the co-owner of the Maltahöhe Hotel, Gert Heussen,
purchased the wagon and supervised it’s restoration.
The wood of the superstructure was unfortunately in
such a bad condition that it had to be replaced.
- For
more information see Events |
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