Windhoek’s colonial buildings are not a curated heritage district; they are simply still there, functioning as churches, government offices, hotels, and private buildings. This incidental preservation, a product of the city’s relative isolation from the economic pressures that redeveloped other African capitals, makes the colonial architecture more honest and more interesting than a museum reconstruction.
Der Rundweg
Start at the Christuskirche and walk north on Robert Mugabe Avenue; the main colonial buildings are within a 1km radius.
Christuskirche (1910): Start here. German Lutheran; the tower and the elevated position dominate the skyline. Open to visitors outside services.
Tintenpalast (1913): “Palace of Ink”; the colonial Parliament building, still in use as Namibia’s Parliament. The German colonial administration was said to consume extraordinary quantities of ink, hence the nickname. Guided tours available during sitting recesses.
Alte Feste (1890): The oldest building in the city; now a museum. See the entry above for content.
Reiterdenkmal (Equestrian Memorial, 1912): The bronze statue of a German colonial soldier on horseback, positioned outside the Alte Feste. It was removed from its original prominent position in 2013, relocated after protests, and remains a contested symbol of colonial memory.
The Magistrate’s Court building: On Independence Avenue; late German colonial style; intact exterior.
Gathemann’s Buildings (1913): On Independence Avenue; the Gathemann family commercial building, now housing retail and restaurants; one of the better commercial colonial buildings.
Historical Context
All these buildings were designed by German colonial architects and built using a combination of skilled German craftsmen and forced or poorly compensated African labour. The aesthetic quality of the buildings should not obscure the context of their construction: these were the administrative and religious infrastructure of a colonial regime that, in 1904 to 1908, committed the first genocide of the 20th century. Engaging with the architecture honestly requires holding both dimensions.