"A people's relationship to their heritage is the same
as the relationship of a child to its mother"
Mahatma Gandhi
Heritage Places
In terms of the National Heritage Act (2004), Heritage Places are immovable heritage assets or resources such as significant structures or archaeological and palaeontological sites.
Heritage Places can be declared to be National Monuments by a decision of the National Heritage Council. Heritage Places are recorded in NAHRIS.
| Name | Region | Brief History | LegalStatus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heroes’ Acre | Khomas | Inaugurated on 26th August 2002. | Declared as a National Monument on 23.08.2002 by the National Monuments Council of Namibia (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28) |
| Betholdt Himumiune Primary School | Khomas | First school built in Katutura. Founded on 19 January 1960 as a transit school for children of inhabitants of the Old Location that according to the Group Areas Act were supposed to be sent to ethnic schools after their construction that had not been finished until then. In 1962 the school was first named Herero State School No. 1. It was changed into the present name in 1972. Bethold Himumuine was the first principle of the historic St Barnabas Primary School in the Old Location. Being a lower primary school until 1999, it hosted grades 1-7 from then on. | Declared as a Heritage Place on 04.09.2006 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Dorslandtrekker | Kunene | Only monument that commemorates the return of 2000 afrikaners from Angola to Namibia in 1928 that had left South Africa in the last two decades of the 19th century because of the british policy that made them fear the imperialism of the Empire. It marks the spot where the afrikaners crossed the Kunene river, Swartbooisdrift, that was an important port between Angola and SWA. Here, they where accomodated in the temporary camp Chimhaka, before being transported inland to Outjo. | Declared as a Heritage Place on 04.09.2006 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Omugulugwombashe | Omusati | On the 26th of August in 1966 the South Afircan Police launched a helicopter-borne assault on the SWAPO base. Therefore at this site the Namibian War of Liberation and Independence started. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.08.2006 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Eenhana Shrine | Ohangwena | Site was used as strategic military base for the South African Defense Force (SADF), 54th battalion, during the apartheid regime, since the 1970s with highest priority. It was set up between the church, the hospital and the secondary school of Eenhana. Human remains where found that may belong to SWAPO members who were tortured to death. | Declared as a Heritage Place on 08.08.2011 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Otjikoto Lake | Oshikoto | The lake was formed by a Karst process in which the ceiling of the cave collapsed. In 1851, Charles Andersson, John Allen, and Francis Galton, author of a book about southern africa, visited the lake first, followed by the geologist Dr. P. Hermann in 1911. The botanist Kurt Diner collected a number of unknown species there. When the “Schutztruppe” surrendered to the Union Troops in 1915, they threw their arms into it; according to Guenther Walbaum 30 cannons and 400-500 boxes of ammunition. The South African soldiers could easily recover it because is was lying only 3 m from the surface on a rock. 2 small field cannons were displayed in front of the Tintenpalast in Windhoek for many years, others in the Tsumeb Museum. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.09.1972 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Second Director’s House | Oshikoto | The first director’s house of the “Otavi Minen and Eisenbahn Gesellschaft” (OMEG, Otavi Mining and Railway Company) was completed in 1907. Only the back of it, the cellar and the staircases remain. The second house was erected in 1912 and therefore is the second oldest building in Tsumeb. Four Directors have lived there with their families, between 1912 and 1922, W. Thometzek, from then to 1932 Friedrich Wilhelm Kegel, between 1938 and 1947 Dr Caspar Hensen, and in the same year M.D. Banghardt. Afterwards it was used as a company guest house. Before it was sold in 2009, it was not used for 7 years. | Declared as a National Monument on 14.08.1989 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| OMEG-Minenbüro | Oshikoto | Erected in 1907, probably by Rudolf Mann, it is regarded as the oldest building of Tsumeb. In 1947 it was sold to American “O’okiep Copper Company” by the Guardian of Alien Property – TCL. When OMEG was taken over by TCL it continued to serve as an office, until TCL established new offices in Main Street in 1950. The building was leased over as a kindergarten, public library and Methodist Church. In 1994 the Tsumeb Gymnasium moved in, in 1998 it was bought from TCL. | Declared as a National Monument on 14.08.1989 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| German Private School Building | Oshikoto | First school building in the skittle alley of the Minen Hotel founded in 1912. After the proposition of the school inspector B. Voigt, the new building was erected in 1915. OMEG donated 3,000 Marks and a site and the German government 15,000 Marks for this purpose. Because it was completed during WWI, it served as a school for 23 German children only for a short time until it was taken over as a military hospital for the German forces and confiscated by the Union forces in 1918. German children resumed classes from 1920. Each OMEG employee contributed 3 Marks per month. In 1930, 100 children were taught there. Because of the drop of the copper prices in 1930, the German residents could not afford the private school any longer. In 1931, the South African government took it over. It served as a school until 1950. Under the auspices of the Namibian Scientific Society, Otavi Bergland, a private museum opened its doors in 1975 (founder: Mrs Ilse Schatz, community based). | Declared as a National Monument on 14.08.1989 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Roman Catholic Church Building | Oshikoto | Erected in 1913 by Rudolf Mann under the supervison of Brother Ucken, and inaugurated in 1914. In 1906 Mr PFP Nachtwey, Perfect of the Roman Catholic Church in Windhoek, asked the OMEG for assistence to establish a Roman Catholic mission in Tsumeb, that since 1940 has been guided by Father Schulte who erected a little “hartbesshuis” at the back of the church which served as a school for locals. With the advent of Roman Catholic Sisters of the Convent of the Holy Cross in 1921, a Sisters’s house, mission school, kindergarten, hostel and visitors accomodation had been built, again with the help of OMEG. | Declared as a National Monument on 14.08.1989 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Ovikokorero War Memorial | Otjozondjupa | Erected to commemorate 26 German soldiers who died on 13 March 1904 in the battle with the Hereros. They have been guided by Major Georg van Glasenapp who moved into the direction of an Herero camp with a patrol consisting of 11 officers, 46 troop and 3 Namibians, an ox-cart and a machine gun. Amongst the fallen were Captain Hugo von Francios and Lieutnant Otto Eggers. After this heavy loss, the patrols were decreased in number to avoid a confrontation in fight and either look out for the cattle posts of the Herero that revealed their presence. | Declared as a National Monument on 13.03.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Okaharui War Memorial | Otjozondjupa | Erected in 1913 to commemorate 32 German soldiers who died on 3 April 1904 in the battle with the Hereros and where mostly buried in a mass grave on the site. In this battle, 237 German soldiers were involved. The number of the Herero warriors had been estimated between 350 and 1,000. The Germans fended off the Herero attacks and forced them into a north-eastern direction. | Declared as a National Monument on 01.05.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Grave of Kahimemua Nguvauva | Otjozondjupa | Kahimemua Nguvauva, born in 1822, reigned as Chief of the Mbanderu, a segment of the Herero, until 1896 when he was shot on the bank of the Okahandja River by the German Schutztruppe. He was sentenced to death because he was in a quarrel with the Germans about a boundary in the district of Gobabis. The uprising of the Mbanderu people was interpreted as an armed struggle and Herero Chief Samuel Maharero insisted on the execution of Ngavauva and Nikodemus Kavekunua, another leader. | Declared as a National Monument on 25.11.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Rhenish Mission Church and Cemetery | Otjozondjupa | After an unsuccessfull try of Peter Kolbe in 1849, the Rhenish Mission Society resumed their work at this place in 1870. Ph. Diehl and J. Irle started building this church in 1871 with the community’s assistance. As oldest building in Okahandja it was consecrated in 1876 by Ph. Diehl. It was often used as refuge. Before the German Evangelical Lutheran Church built a church in 1952 on the opposite side, it also served as a meeting point for Germans and locals. No more services were held at all after this date until its restoration. The Apartheit politics forced the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the late 1960s to built a new church in the “black” part of the town, therefore, this one was abandoned for more than 20 years. | Declared as a National Monument on 28.07.1972 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Moordkoppie | Otjozondjupa | “At ‘Moordkoppie’ a sanguinary battle took place on 23 August 1850, when about 700 followers of the Herero Chief, Kahitjene, were murdered by the Namas under the command of Jonker Afrikaner.” (OG 3621) | Declared as a National Monument on 28.07.1972 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Herero Grave Complex | Otjozondjupa | The place of the Herero grave has once been the cattle kraal of Chief Tjamuaha who died in 1861 and was buried there. His son, Chief Maharero, was buried next to him when he died in 1890. His other son, Chief Samuel Maharero, died in 1923. A memorial stone for the complex of those three graves was erected on 18 May 1924. The graves of Samuel Friedrich Maharero, who died in 1952, and Kaimbire Tjamuaha, who died in 1989, are also situated here. | Declared as a National Monument on 14.03.1990 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Nakambale House, Church and Cemetary | Oshikoto | The Finnish missionary Reverend Martti Rautanen started his work in 1870 and founded the mission station at Olukonda in 1871. The church, erected in 1889, is the oldest church building in northern Namibia. Services were held until 1970. The mission house followed in 1893 and is now a museum, that opened in 1995. | Declared as a National Monument on 02.11.1992 by the National Monuments Council of Namibia (NMC). |
| Brandberg Area | Erongo | 120 million years ago, the mountain was a volcano. Remnants of the lava plateau can still be seen. Evidence proves the permanent occupation by nomads over the last few hundred years. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.06.1951 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Rock Paintings at Etemba | Erongo | Scientific research by M. Weyersberg in 1929/30 and Abbe Breuil in the 1940s. Walter Kahn recorded numerous plates that he numbered with paint on the stone such as single paintings that were all accompied by archeological material. | Proclaimed as a Relic on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Rhenish Mission House | Erongo | As the oldest building in Omaruru, part of the house was built in 1868 by Daniël Cloete. In 1872 Rev. Gottlieb Viehe completed a house of unbaked clay bricks next to it. There, in 1874 he translated the New Testament, the Liturgical Prayers, and the Catechism into Herero which thereby was elevated to a written language. Viehe also used one room of the house for political negotiations and as a school for a Herero and an English, and later a Dutch class. It was also used as a hospital for those who were wounded in the Nama-Herero-War in 1881. He installed a meteorological observatory close to the house also in 1881. Another room was built and the ceiling was set 2 feet higher. Between 1887 and 1911 Rev. Eduard Dannert conducted the mission station that also served as a post office from 1895 to 1898. He was supported by August Kuhlmann from 1907, who lived in the Second Rhenish Mission House and translated the Old Testament into Herero from 1939-43. In WWI, the Old Mission House was used by the Union Troops and by war refugees. During heavy rainfalls in 1934 the old Cloete House collapsed. In 1939 the Kuhlmann familiy moved into the freshly renovated Old Mission House which was rented out for several years. In 1984 the town bought it. | Declared as a National Monument on 04.12.1985 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Battlefield around Franke Tower | Erongo | On 4 February 1904 Captain Victor Franke and 100 of his men broke the siege of Omaruru by 3,000 Herero during their rebellion after a march from Gibeon that took them 19 days. They had 4 field cannons. 100 Herero and 7 Germans fell. The Herero fled after they were driven out of their rock shelters. After an idea by Rudolf Kindt, the Framke Tower was erected until 1908 by Mr Hagendorn. The German adminstration donated the municipal ground. A fundraising dinner was held in 1906 and some companys also took part in realising the plans. A commemorative service was held on every 4 February. | Declared as a National Monument on 21.04.1972 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Rhenish Mission Church | Erongo | Cornerstone laid an 18.10.1865 in presence of Herero Chiefs and the Swartboois, and inaugurated on 01.12.1867 by Rev. Hugo Hahn. Chief Zeraua of the Hereros donated 10,000 bricks. The architect and building contractor was Eduard Haelbich. A tower was added in 1899 by Jakob Diehl, the builder of the mission station. Served as a place of refuge during several wars and the raids by the Afrikanes and their allies. The building replaced a smaller one that was completed in 1850, soon after the arrival of Hahn and his collegue Johannes Rath. Hahn performed up to 4 services each Sunday, in German, English or Afrikaans. During the week it was used as a school. Otjimbingwe established itself as the headquarter of the German colony until major Curt von Francois moved it to Windhoek in 1890. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.03.1975 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church | Karas | At the stage of its proclamation it was the biggest of its kind that was known. | Declared as a National Monument on 14.09.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church | Erongo | First reported by Von Huene in 1925. The tracks are “formed from wind-deposited sand which irregular rains redistributed. The animals left their tracks on the shores of ancient lakes, or in rain-soaked sand. Through the ages this sand, with the tracks, was gradually covered by layers of sediment, and hardened into stone. Erosion has subsequently exposed the tracks.” | Declared as a National Monument on 14.09.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Façade of Rösemann Building | Erongo | Erected in 1900 by the trading company Rösemann & Kronewitter. The building accomodated their head office and a hotel. Since 1968, the building belonged to a local building contractor, Mr JO Liedtke. | Declared as a National Monument on 13.12.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Krabbenhöft & Lampe Building | Karas | Erected in 1909 from the design of F Kramer by FH Schmidt for Oskar Lampe for a combined use for business and residence. The bricks were imported from Cape Town, the roof tiles and rafters from Germany. | Declared as a National Monument on 13.12.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Two Historic Dwellings | Karas | The two conjoined building were erected in 1909 by Hermann Metje for Edmund Troost. The architect eventually was Heinrich Ziegler. | Declared as a National Monument on 13.12.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Deutsche Bank Afrika Building | Karas | First bank in Lüderitz, built in 1907 by A Bause. The workers from the diamond fields were paid through a sliding window. | Declared as a National Monument on 25.11.1979 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Kreplin House | Karas | Erected in 1909 for Emil Kreplin, railway manager and first mayor of Lüderitz. Designed by Friedrich Kramer and built by the firm FH Schmidt. | Declared as a National Monument on 19.05.1983 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| “Hohenzollern” Building | Erongo | Erected from 1905-1906 by Hermann Dietz for his own use. Recently extended by two wings flanking the main part. Units were sold then. | Declared as a National Monument on 19.05.1983 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Kubas Station Building | Erongo | The “Kaiserliche Eisenbahnverwaltung” supplied the building with marble from a reef that the railway line was built through in 1900, only 3.5 km north-east of Kubas. The station was one of 24 on the State Railway line. | Declared as a National Monument on 19.05.1983 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Prisoner-of-War Camp Site | Karas | One of the conditions of the capitulation agreement signed at Kilometre 500 in 1915 was that all non-commissioned officers and troops and the police would be held as prisoners until the end of WWI. Three German officers and a unit of volunteers from the South African Veteran Regiment were stationed to maintain order. 1552 German prisoners were accomodated here. The tents, that were not protective enough against the harsh weather conditions in that area, were replaced by huts of unbaked bricks by the prisoners themselves. The South Africans did not improve their accomodation (hessian or patched tents). The Germans also tried to entertain themselves with music, sports and movies. They grew vegetables and flowers. The camp was closed on 13 May 1919. | Declared as a National Monument on 24.07.1985 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Remaining portion of Erf 269 and Semi-Detached House | Karas | Built in 1909 by Hermann Metje. Photographer JC Hubrich bought it from Edmund Troost and lived there between 1923 and 1937. | Declared as a National Monument on 04.12.1985 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Hälbich Buildings | Erongo | Hälbich died in 1900 and his sons moved his trading company, founded in 1873, from Otjimbingwe to Karibib. | Declared as a National Monument on 27.02.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Haus Woll | Erongo | Built for Georg Woll at the beginning of the 20th century. | Declared as a National Monument on 03.03.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Hotel zum Grünen Kranze | Erongo | Erected in 1913 and one of 6 hotels during the German colonial period, after 1949 it was converted to a bakery. | Declared as a National Monument on 03.03.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Proviantamt | Erongo | Erected in 1911 as quartermaster’s stores by the “Schutztruppe”. The office and additional rooms were erected in 1907. Part of the complex was burnt out in 1945. | Declared as a National Monument on 03.03.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Kaiserbrunnen | Erongo | The reservoir and the trough were built in 1906. The water was pumped there with a wind-propelled pump. It was used until 1936. | Declared as a National Monument on 26.05.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Old Post Office | Karas | Erected in 1910 by Seebach & Bach from the design of Gottlieb Redecker to replace the older and smaller post office. Door and windows were imported from Germany. | Declared as a National Monument on 12.01.1987 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Otavi Bahnhof | Erongo | Besides the State Railway, Swakopmund had a parallel running second line: the Otavi Railway for mining. The line to Tsumeb had been constructed between 1903 and 1906. In 1910, the German government closed the State line and used the Otavi line to Karibib instead. Because its terminal was too small, the State terminal was used and the Otavi-Buildings became a residence. It was taken over by Smith African Railways after WWI. Later, it became the property of TRANSNAMIB who donated it to the Society for Scientific Development in 1993. | Declared as a Heritage Place on 01.02.2007 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Mass Grave at Old Location Cemetery | Khomas | The cemetery was founded in 1926 as an extension to the Gammans Cemetery. Amongst the 12,000 graves the mass grave for those who were killed in 1959 by the South African authorities because refused to be removed from their homes by force due to the Apartheid rules. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.08.2006 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |
| Eagle Monument | Karas | Erected on an unknown date to commemorate the German soldiers who had been fallen in the Herero and Nama wars (1887, 1903, 1906-1907). | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Rock Engravings at Farm Otjitoroa-West | Otjozondjupa | A unique depiction of a human face had been found on a loose stone and exported illegally . | Proclaimed as a Relic on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Rock Engravings at Kamanjab | Kunene | Peet Alberts, the former owner of the farm, was one of the dorsland trekkers. | Proclaimed as a Relic on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Caves on Farm Ganachaams (Ghaub Caves) | Oshikoto | First reported in 1914, in the “Deutsche Kolonialzeitung”. First detailed account by F Jaeger and L Waibel before WWI. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Grave of John Ludwig | Khomas | John Ludwig, born in Germany, arrived at Windhoek in 1892 and settled in Klein Windhoek to start viticulture and tabacco farming there. He ran the restaurant “Ludwigslust”. He played an important role in public life. He was the first person to be buried in the Klein Windhoek cementery on 1 March 1913. After the German colonial period a “native took location” was formed around the graveyard. A former Herero servant took care for the grave, until the area was effected by the forced removals that took place during the South African colonial period. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Boundary Post at Kuiseb River | Erongo | Erected in 1885 at the place of the former Ururas police station by the land surveyor PBS Wrey who was instructed by the British government to demarcate the border between British and German territory. In 1958, the post was moved about 500 m from its orginal position to the Kuiseb Valley. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Old German Fortress | Karas | Erected around 1898, the fort secured the South Bay Road between Keetmanshoop and Lüderitz, a military station building and provided bypassers with water. An officer of the Schutztruppe and approximately 15 troops were stationed here. Especially during the Nama wars in 1905-1906, their task was to protect the close waterholes. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.05.1967 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Rock Drawings at Farm Oase | Khomas | The paintings date from various periods. | Proclaimed as a Relic on 01.11.1968 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Monument at Kub | Hardap | The monument commemorates a fight between the Nama and the Germans on 22.11.1904. 7 German soldiers were killed. During those times, Kub had been a flourshing settlement. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.11.1968 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Replica of Original Cross at Cape Cross | Erongo | In 1484, a padrão, a limestone pillar topped by a cross, was erected by the Portuguese seafarer Diogo Cão. On his search for a sea route to India, this was the southernmost place where he planted a cross. When the Germans occupied the land from 1883-1884, a wooden noticeboard was erected. In 1893, when Captein Becker investigated the possibility of establishing a harbour at Cape Cross, he took the cross, that was weathering away, to Duala, Cameroon, from where it was shipped to Wilhelmshaven, Germany, and became part of the collection of the “Kaiserliche Marineakademie” and given on permanent loan to the today Humboldt University. It finally arrived at the German Museum for Technology in Berlin. Namibia and Portugal attempted to get it back. Wilhelm II ordered a granite replica of the cross which was erected 15 m from the original place on 23.01.1895. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 01.11.1968 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| War Memorial | Khomas | Commemorates the struggles of the Germans with the Witbooi-Nama. Prefabricated in Germany, installed 1897. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 05.12.1968 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Marine-Denkmal | Erongo | The monument, designed by Albert Moritz Wolf (1884-1923) and inaugurated on 01.08.1908, commemorates the important role of the marines in the Herero rebellion in 1904, especially in Karibib and Otjimbingwe. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 05.12.1968 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Lüderitz Memorial | Karas | In 1883, Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz, the first German trader in Namibia, erected a wooden tablet to mark the territory of the Germans. The stone beacon replaced the table that was send to the colonial museum in Berlin (closed 1915) in 1903. The old Nautilus graveyard that surrounded the beacon and gave it its name was relocated to Shark Island in 1977. Thus, the name did not make sense any more and in 1980 its proclamation was replaced and now titled the “Lüderitz Memorial”. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 14.02.1969. Notice withdrawn on 05.05.1980 and the memorial and surrounding 5m of land declared a National Monument on 05.05.1980 by the National Monuments Council of South West Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Cemetery on Farm Mooifontein | Karas | This farm used to be a German military post called “Chamis”The cemetery contains a small number of graves of German soldiers and civilians who fell in the Nama wars 1903-1907. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 14.02.1969 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Cemetry at Nomtsas | Hardap | The Nomtsas Farm was known as Namibia’s largest sheep farm, owned by Ernst Ferdinand Wilhelm Hermann from 1893 until 1904 when he was killed during the Nama uprisings together with several other farmers who had taken refuge at Nomtsas, including the German state veterinian Dr O Albrecht. They are buried in the cemetery near the farmhouse. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 14.02.1969 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Stone Rondavel | Karas | Mr Firtz Engels who immigrated from South Africa erected it in 1900. | Proclaimed as a Historical Monument on 14.02.1969 by the Historical Monuments Commission for South West Africa (HMC). |
| Naulila Monument | Kunene | The monument commemorates a group of German soldiers who were killed at the Portuguese Fort Naulila in Angola. On 19.10.1914, Dr Schulze-Jena and the Lieutnants A Loesch and K Roeder were killed by the garrison of the fort. The incident was followed by punitive force of the Germans, namely the Francke Regiment, at Naulila. The attack was successful, although 31 German were killed or wounded. On the Portuguese-Angolan side 150 Portuguese were killed or wounded (Angolans are not documented). The monument was commissioned by the “Deutscher Verein” and built by Mr C Wille. It was unveiled on 12.06.1933. | Declared as a National Monument on 28.05.1971 by the National Monuments Council of South West Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Railway Station Building | Erongo | The great drought from 1897-1898 and the outbreak of the rinderpest made it necessary to provide the inner country with the essential goods via railway instead of oxwagons. Within 5 years the line to Windhoek was constructed. The construction of the station building according to the plans of the architect Carl Schmidt took place in 1901 after a contract between the “Kaiserliche Eisenbahnverwaltung” (imperial railway administration) and the Swakopmunder Handelsgesellschaft” (trading company) was closed. Because Schmidt’s contract had lapsed before the construction was finished, Wilhelm Sander terminalised it. He added the clock tower. The station was used until 1994 when it was turned into a hotel with a casino. | Declared as a National Monument on 27.10.1972 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Site of Original Dias Cross | Karas | On St. James Day (25 July) in 1488, the Portuguese seafarer Bartolomeu Dias, who was the first to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, raised a padrão at Lüderitz. The limestone beacon was mentioned periodically until officers of the HMS Barrcouta found it uprooted and broken in 1825. In 1855 the guano merchant Captein Carew took the fragments he could find to the South African Museum in Cape Town, some larger ones were left behind undiscovered until Dr Axel Erikson found them in 1953. | Declared as a National Monument on 12.01.1973 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Remaining portion of Erf 309 and Old German School Building | Khomas | Since 1894, the German community made some efforts to offer formal education in Windhoek, but until 1909, when the colony was granted self-government and a school association was founded in Klein Windhoek, there was only one informal teacher. Then, a piece of land was donated by the “Wassererschliessungsgenossenschaft”, the government granted 6,000 Marks and the German community the building materials. The construction started in January of 1910 with C Ankenbrandt as its architect and A Fritzsche as its builder. The school opend as “Klein Windhoeker Regierungsschule” in May 1910. It was also used as the community committee’s meeting place and for church services on every second Sunday. When the South West Africa Administration took over in 1920, the school association had to rent the building. It was closed in 1924 and served as a school laundry until 1949. Before it accomodated government officials until 1969, a bathroom was added. In 1968, an outer buillding was erected. Since 1970 it served as office for the local Boy Scout group, the Namibian Mountaineering Club and kindergarten. | Declared as a National Monument on 04.09.1985 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Roman Catholic Cathedral | Khomas | In 1931, the original church from 1903 was extended, the nave was lengthened eastwards and the towers were added. The firm Kock&Schmidt was responsible for the construction. The St Mary’s Cathedral was consecrated in April 1932. In 1971, extended for the second time ,the nave was lengthened westwards and new choir stalls and chancel were built. New stained glass and lead and stained glass windows. Renovated in 1993/4. From the original building, the ornamental cement tiles remain. Several other objects had been moved to Roman Catholic Church in Pionierspark. | Declared as a National Monument on 19.05.1983 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Christus Kirche (Christ Church) | Khomas | The Evangelical Lutheran congregation of Windhoek was founded in 1896 by Pastor Heinrich Siebe. The erection of the church after the plans of the government architect Gottlieb Redecker started in 1907 and the consecration took place in 1910. Many parts were manufactured in Germany. Before WWI, Ms Seitz donated a copy of Rubens’ “The Resurrection of Lazarus” and a altar piece. In 1923, eight large bronze panels with the names of all Germans who were killed in Namibia were installed; as well as a new marble altar. Renovation in 1967 and 1971. New terrazzo floor and grantite altar. | Declared as a National Monument on 29.11.1974 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Old Prison | Khomas | Erected from 1906 to 1907 from plans of Gottlieb Redecker. It was used as a prison until 1963. Only one successful escape during that period. After its closure, it served as storage space. In 1984, a six-storeyed office block, the First National Development Corporation Building had been built partly into the courtyard of the former prison. One cell has been preserved in its original state. | Declared as a National Monument on 27.02.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Elisabeth Haus | Khomas | The first part had been erected between 1907-1908 by the architect Gottlieb Redecker on the initiative of the “Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft” as a maternity home. Until 1981, 12,669 babies were born here under the administration of the “Frauenverein vom Roten Kreuz fuer Deutsche ueber See”. The German imperial government donated the land and the “Kolonialgesellschaft” raised funds for the construction. In 1912 parts of the stoep were walled in. Between 1914 and 1915, the extension of the building has been errected after the design of Wilhelm Sander. During the same time, the house served as refuge for Germans. After its closure in 1981, the house was transferred to the Academy of Tertiary Education (now UNAM). Today, it houses the history centre of the University of Science and Technology (NUST). | Declared as a National Monument on 03.03.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Ten-man House | Khomas | Designed by Gottlieb Redecker and erected in 1906/07 as accomodation for 10 unmarried government officials. | Declared as a National Monument on 09.07.1986 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Prison Building | Erongo | Erected between 1907 and 1909 from the plans of Otto Ertl. | Declared as a National Monument on 24.08.1973 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Old Barracks | Erongo | The building was designed by engineers to accommodate the builders of the “Zweite Eisenbahn Baukompanie” who built a landing quay. It was erected from 1905-06. After the quay was finished and until WWI, it accommodated German soldiers. Afterwards it served as a school and from 1993 as a youth hostel. | Declared as a National Monument on 15.11.1973 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Historical Gateways | Karas | The two small buildings that flank the Albrecht street had been built between 1907 and 1913 when the Germans were often attacked by Nama and Bondelwarts. They were part of the military barracks that were demolished in 1954. | Declared as a National Monument on 01.03.1974 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Grave of Axel Eriksson | Otjozondjupa | Eriksson came from Sweden to Namibia in the 1860s as an assistant to Charles Andersson and continued his trading business after Andersson’s death in 1867. He traded goods imported from the Cape such as ivory, ostrich feathers and skins, mainly between 1870 and 1880, in the today Kunene Region. He supported the Dorsland trekkers. Together with Will Worthing Jordan he settled on the Urupupa Farm, part of today’s Farm Rietfontein. The trekkers founded Republic of Upingtonia which soon desintegrated. Eriksson died on the farm on 5.5.1901. | Declared as a National Monument on 22.03.1974 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| German Lazaret | Omaheke | Built in 1896 on the highest hillock to the south-east of the former Gobabis fort. Used as a hospital until 1904. After the end of WWI it was used as a dwelling for civil servants and civilians. After independence, it was considered to have a museum there, but instead was occupied as government offices. | Declared as a National Monument on 20.12.1974 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Old Fort | Otjozondjupa | Erected in 1896 by the “Schutztruppe” and the native population. Grootfontein became a district, being still part of the Outjo District. The adminstration whose mission was to drain the swamps near the fontains, moved into the fort. Over the years, the building was extended numerous times. In 1908 it was restored. After 1915, the SWA adminsitration used it as head quarters and barracks, later as school and hostel. After restoration from 1970, the museum opened its doors on 20.10.1983 under the auspices of the Namibia Scientific Society. | Declared as a National Monument on 21.03.1975 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| OMEG-Haus | Erongo | Besides the State Railway, Swakopmund had a parallel running second line, the Otavi Railway, for mining. The terminal building still exists next to the OMEG-Haus, the goods shed. The line to Tsumeb had been constructed between 1903 and 1906. In 1910, the German government closed the State line and used the Otavi line to Karibib instead. Because its terminal was too small, the State terminal was used and the Otavi-Buildings became a residence. In 1971, the OMEG-Haus was taken over and restored by the “Society for Scientific Development” and later served as a guest house. | Declared as a National Monument on 19.09.1975 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Magistrate’s Residence | Karas | During the height of the “diamond fever”, 1908-10, many of the newly rich built themselves luxurious, mostly double-storeyed villas that are called “diamond palaces”, like this one built in 1909. The mine inspector Hans Goerke moved in the following year, stayed only until 1912 and sold it in 1920 to the Consolidated Diamond Mining Company (CDM) who used it as residence for their chief engineer. The company moved to Oranjemund and sold the house to the SWA adminstration in 1944. Until 1981 it was the magistrate’s residence. The CDM repurchased it in 1983 and renovated it and used it as a guest house. | Declared as a National Monument on 26.09.1975 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Prinzessin Rupprecht Heim | Erongo | Erected as a hospital in 1902 after the plans of the architect Carl Schmidt. It was extended in 1905 (operating theatre, quarantine quarters, mortuary) and closed 1909. The Bavarian Women’s Association of the Red Cross converted it into a convalescent centre when they bought it one year later and added the high roof with the dormer windows and the gables. With the inauguration in 1914 it became its name. | Declared as a National Monument on 12.11.1976 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Station Building | Karas | Designed in 1913 by government builder Kurt Lohse and completed in 1914. The construction of the line already started in 1905, but with the discovery of diamonds, it needed to expand its capacity, especially for passengers. | Declared as a National Monument on 03.12.1976 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Kramersdorf Building | Erongo | F Kramer designed it in 1912 and occupied it himself. Kramer ran the technical division of Woerman, Brock & Co and established a light industrial plant outside Swakopmund. This suburb was called after him. After him, his colleagues were accomodated there. Later, it was used as a boy’s hostel supervised by Major Oskar Scultetus. Afterwards it was taken over by the South West Africa Company and renamed “Jubilee House”. It served as holiday residence for its employees. | Declared as a National Monument on 23.12.1977 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Regimental Badges at Farm Titbit | Erongo | The badges were laid out out in stone in May 1915 by units of the Second Battalions of the Kimberley and the Durban light Infantry Regiments while they were guarding the railway line between Swakopmund and Usakos against possible German sabotage. | Declared as a National Monument on 10.02.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Regimental Badges at Farm Badges | Erongo | The badges were laid out out in stone from April to June 1915 by units of the Second Battalions of the First Battalion of the Transvaal Scottish Regiment and the Durban light Infantry Regiments while they were guarding the railway line between Swakopmund and Usakos against possible German sabotage. | Declared as a National Monument on 10.02.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Edward Cook’s Commemorative Stone | Karas | Erected in 1929 by the Methodist Church to commemorate the English Missionary Edward Boyer Cook (1806-1843), the founder of Warmbad, former Nisbett’s Bath, the first Wesleyan Mission Station in Great Namaqualand. He arrived in 1834 and settled in the mission station that had been started by William Threllfall who was murdered soon after his arrival in 1825. Cook baptised 437 people within 9 years. Although he died at the Orange River on his way back from Cape Town, he was buried in Warmbad. | Declared as a National Monument on 08.05.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Rhenish Mission Church | Karas | The first church that had been built due to a donation by Johann Keetman in 1866. The Aub River washed it away in 1890. The Nama Kaptein Tseib who settled there with its followers, donated the land for the second church. Its construction by the community was supervised by Rev. Tobias Fenchel. Consecration in 1895. It was used by the black community until 1961 (the Europeans built their own church in 1930), when they were expelled from the “white” quarter. Since 1978 it is used as a museum. | Declared as a National Monument on 05.06.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex | Karas | In 1814 the missionary Johann Heinrich Schmelen of the London Mission Society settled here. He lived in a self-built one-roomed house until 1834. In 1842 the station was taken over by Hans Christian Knudsen of the Rhenish Mission. He rebuilt Schmelen’s house that had been burnt down. The Church was built in 1859 by Hermann Heinrich Kreft with support of the parish. It resembles the church of Unterbarmen in Germany due to its two towers that were removed later. When a new church was built in 1899, the old one served as a school and afterwards as a storeroom. | Declared as a National Monument on 10.08.1978 by the National Monuments Council of South Africa (NMC, National Monuments Act 1969, No. 28). |
| Monument of the Unknown PLAN soldiers at Ondeshifiilwa | Oshana | On 01 April 1989 some members of PLAN gathered at Ondeshifiilwa village to get information on which beacons they should gather and hand in their waepons. Unfortunately the SA army misinterpreted their gathering as hostile and attacked them. It is believed that 22 PLAN fighters were brutally killed and were later buried in a mass grave at Ondeshifiilwa. | Declared as a Heritage Place on 08.08.2011 by the National Heritage Council of Namibia (National Heritage Act, No. 27 of 2004) |