The Capital City
Windhoek is located in the middle of the country, about 1 720m above sea level, in a long valley with mountains on either side. In the Auas Mountains just to the south, a peak known as the Moltkeblick reaches a height of 2 479m, the second highest point in the country. The rugged Khomas Hochland rises to the west with hill upon hill as far as the Namib Desert.
As the capital of Namibia and the only proclaimed city, Windhoek is the seat of the legislative, executive and judicial arms of government. Although around 13% of all Namibians live in the city, it is one of the smallest capitals in the world, with a total population of only 234 000.
Nevertheless it offers international visitors all the necessities and amenities of a modern city. It is also the hub for all modes of travel within Namibia, with Hosea Kutako -- the only international airport -- some 40 km away.
Windhoek grew into a town with a strongly European ethos after Imperial Germany installed a military garrison in 1890 under command of Major Curt von Francois. More than a decade after independence, his statue still stands outside the municipal offices, although it is open to question whether he was the true founder of Windhoek.
The
town was given municipal status in 1909 and proclaimed a city in 1965. While
control of the country passed to South Africa in 1915, examples of historical
architecture from German times remain, particularly on the hill above the central
business district.
The oldest building in the city, the Alte Feste or Old Fort built to garrison the first contingent of colonial troops, now houses a historical museum.
The German Lutheran Christuskirche (Christchurch), a gingerbread church built from sandstone in 1910 in a blend of neo- Romanesque, art nouveau and Gothic styles, stands on a traffic island in the middle of Robert Mugabe Avenue. Its stained-glass windows were a gift from the German emperor.
In the Parliament Gardens across the road from the Christuskirche, the National Assembly and National Council are housed in the wrylynicknamed Tintenpalast (1913) or Ink Palace, where legislators and bureaucrats have toiled ever since the country was a German colony.
Such relics notwithstanding, Windhoek nowadays comes across as a fairly cosmopolitan city with a slight, but perceptible African flavour.
In early times Nama and Herero pastoralists contended for ownership of perennial waters situated in a valley where the present-day suburb of Klein Windhoek stands. The place was called /Ai//Gams in the Nama language and Otjomuise in Herero for the steam that rose from its hot springs.
In 1837 a British explorer, Sir James Alexander, came to hear of the springs. He was so impressed that he named them -- sight unseen -- Queen Adelaide's Bath in honour of his queen. He put the name on a map he drew, the first of the country as a whole, or at least the parts of it known to foreigners.
Queen Adelaide's Bath did not stick. Neither did Elberfeld, the name Rhenish missionaries adopted after their arrival in 1842, nor Concordiaville as Wesleyan missionaries later called it, when they replaced the Rhenish in 1844.
It had earlier become a place of permanent settlement when Chief Jonker Afrikaner and his clan of Orlam marauders laid claim to the springs in 1840. A people of mixed ancestry, Khoekhoe with European, they spoke Cape Dutch, an early form of Afrikaans. They had horses and guns, unlike the hapless Namas and Hereros, whom they easily supplanted.
It is believed that Jonker Afrikaner named the place Winterhoek (Wintry Corner) after mountains in the Cape of Good Hope where he was born. In correspondence he rendered it as Wind Hoock. So the name became Windhuk when the Germans colonised the country.
The final change of name was also phonetic, although it too resulted from political change. Windhoek is the Afrikaans spelling of Windhuk. Officially adopted after South Africa replaced Germany in South West Africa, the name only coincidentally translates as "Windy Corner" and does not imply that Windhoek is a particularly windy place.
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Hotel of Choice Known for its gracious interiors and old-world charm, the Fürstenhof is a short walk from the heart of Windhoek, with a splendid view of the city skyline from its front terrace. The hotel has been extensively refurbished to create an ambience that is unrivalled in Windhoek. Guests stay in 15 de luxe and 18 superior bedrooms. All the rooms are en suite and come with air conditioner, satellite TV, direct-dial telephone and minibar. Some of the rooms are reserved for non-smokers and open directly onto the hotel pool. The Fürstenhof takes pride in the high quality of its table. The à la carte restaurant features international cuisine while the open-air bistro provides informal meals. Drinks are served in the bar lounge and on the terrace outside. The hotel is a favourite venue for functions and conferences. Among other facilities it has a boardroom for 10 which can be used either for meetings or intimate dinners. Furthermore it has an excellent reputation for the quality of its outside catering services. The hotel offers internet and e-mail facilities for guest use and provides fax and photocopy services. Ample and secure parking is available on the premises.
HOTEL FÜRSTENHOF |
| The city |
MUSEUMS
Owela Museum
4 Lüderitz Street, behind public library.
Traditional cultures & artefacts, fauna & flora, bird room.
Weekdays, 09:00-18:00 in summer, 09:00-17:00 in winter; weekends, opens one
hour later; closed 13:00-14:00 for lunch; closed public holidays.
Alte Feste Museum
Robert Mugabe Avenue, opposite Christuskirche.
Independence struggle, national symbols, colonial artefacts, prehistoric art.
Same days and hours as Owela Museum, except that museum only closes for lunch
on weekends, 12:30-15:00.
Geological Survey Museum
Aviation Road, near Eros Airport.
Namibian fossils, rock samples and meteorites.
Open weekdays only, 08:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00; closed public holidays.
Transport Museum
Railway Station, off Bahnhoff Street.
History of railway system in Namibia.
Open weekdays only, 09:00-13:00 & 14:00-17:00; closed public holidays.
METEORITE
FOUNTAIN
Located in the Post Street Mall, the Meteorite Fountain contains 31 meteorites,
estimated to be 600 million years old. They are from the largest meteorite shower
known to have fallen on earth. It scattered over some 20 000km², with the
highest concentration centred on Brukkaros, a mountain in southern Namibia.
The meteorites are believed to be pieces of a body with a mass of 21t which
fragmented in outer space. The largest fragment weighed 650kg. They are known
as octahedrites, a common type of iron meteorite.
NATIONAL BOTANICAL
GARDEN
Entry from National Botanical Research Institute in Orban Street.
The 11ha garden contains the densest stand of mopane aloes (Aloe littoralis)
in Namibia and large succulents such as bottle trees, quiver trees and candelabra
euphorbias.
The aloes flower in April and May.
Open daily, Monday to Friday, 08:00-17:00.
Closed public holidays.
NATIONAL ART GALLERY
Corner of Robert Mugabe Avenue & John Meinert Street.
Permanent exhibition of Namibian art. Open 08:00-17:00, Tuesday to Friday; Saturday,
09:00-14:00.
Closed on Sunday & public holidays.
THEATRES
National Theatre of Namibia
Robert Mugabe Avenue, next to National Art Gallery.
Inquiries: tel 23 4633 (box office) or 23 7966 (management).
Warehouse Theatre
Alte Brauerei, 84 Tal Street.
Inquiries: tel 22 5059.
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Pension
of Choice Hotel Pension Steiner is an oasis in the heart of Windhoek with shade trees and a swimming pool in its secluded garden. Guests stay in 16 bedrooms, all with en-suite bathroom, hairdryer, fan, telephone, minibar and satellite TV with English and German channels. A cosy lounge with a fireplace and a beer garden are available for relaxation. For breakfast a hearty buffet is served with eggs to order in a variety of styles that extend to filled omelettes and sweet pancakes. Security is maintained on the premises around the clock. On-site parking is provided. The pension arranges airport transfers, car rentals and dinner reservations on request. HOTEL
PENSION STEINER |
| The Countryside |
DAAN VILJOEN GAME PARK
Situated
in the rolling hills of the Khomas Hochland, Daan Viljoen is 15km west of Windhoek
on route C28. A small park in highland savannah, only 40km² in extent,
it does not hold a lot of game, but the species are fairly diverse.
It is possible to see baboon (Papio ursinus), blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), eland (Taurotragus oryx), gemsbok (Oryx gazella), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) and steenbok (Raphicerus campestris). Some 200 species of bird are found in the park.
Facilities include a swimming pool, a willow-lined dam for picnics and hiking trails.
GROSS-BARMEN HOT SPRINGS
A spa located 94km north-west of Windhoek along routes B1 and M87 via Okahandja.
Fed from a hot mineral spring, the bath in the thermal hall is fitted with adjustable
benches, massage spouts and safety rails. An outdoor pool is filled with cooled
spring water. Other facilities include a restaurant, picnic spots and tennis
courts.
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Lodge
of Choice Get a taste of the Namibian wilds just 30km out of Windhoek in the wide open spaces of Okapuka, a game-rich ranch in thorn-bush and highland savannah that sprawls into the Otiihavera Mountains. The wildlife includes white rhino, plains and mountain zebra, giraffe, eland, sable, kudu, gemsbok, blue and black wildebeest, blesbok and springbok. Even lion and crocodile. Most of the species that now live free on the ranch, formerly a cattle farm like others in the district, were locally extinct in 1986 when the property was acquired for restoration. They were gradually reintroduced and one or two species indigenous to other parts of the country were added in order to open a window into the natural world for the enjoyment of foreign visitors and local people alike. Guests stay in comfort and luxury in 21 thatched rooms that blend into the landscape. A central lapa with a dome-like thatched roof houses the à la carte Park Restaurant and the alfresco Hyena Bar. Conference facilities and an awardwinning wine cellar are available to groups elsewhere on the ranch. Game drives, lion feeds, mountain drives, hikes and helicopter flights are among the activities. OKAPUKA RANCH www.natron.net/okapuka |
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Namibia Guidebook. |
