Windhoek is the capital and largest city of Namibia, though with a population of est. 320,000+ it is not a huge city.

Tracing back to 1840, Windhoek started as a settlement near a hot spring. It was a German colony and then British before achieving independence.

Coming from Madagascar with layover in Johannesburg, I was set to visit the city which has most of its tourist sights conveniently located in the center of town.

From the Windhoek Country Club Resort, I drove downtown and parked at the church.

Christuskirche

The Christ Church is a Lutheran church and an icon of the city. Built in 1910 the structure is in Gothic revival architecture. Materials of the church were imported from all over the world including marble from Italy and a roof, bells, and stained glass from Germany.

Independence Memorial Museum

This museum focuses on Namibia’s history and path to independence and warfare. Only opened in March of 2014, the museum displays are new and well presented, though most of them are artistic depictions and photos of events. There are a few artifacts, mostly war related.

Interesting to see the politicians of Namibia that were imprisoned on Robben Island off of Cape Town.

Alte Feste

The oldest surviving building of Windhoek was built as a fort in 1890-1915.
It served as a military headquarters and was then turned into a hostel for the Windhoek High School. Finally in 1957 it was declared a National Monument and turned into the National Museum of Nambia.

When I visited there were people working (and not) around the yard cutting grass. The museum seemed closed but no one stopped me from walking into the courtyard where I found Reiterdenkmal (Rider’s Memorial) commemorating the Schutztruppe soldiers killed in the Herero-Nama wars of the early 20th century.

There are some old rail car displays but not much else.

Across the street is a red building which I thought was part of the museum but is actually the National Museum offices. The other part of the museum is further down the road.

Tintenpalast

The nearby Ink Palace holds the seat of the National Council and the National Assembly. The building was designed by German architect Gottlieb Redecker and built in 1912-1913.

National Art Gallery

The main art gallery of Windhoek has a collection by Namibia’s Muafangejo as well as other local works.

Windhoek is a safe and relaxed city, though even the center can end up with some traffic. A tour through the center is quick and worthwhile to get a feel for the development of the country.

After my visit, I was off to Swakopmund!