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Reiter Denkmal und Alte Fest
Windhoek
Is fully geared
up to meet the demands of the business and tourist. The city is one
of Africa's most popular international conference centres. The road
system is well signed and easy to navigate, and the traffic is quite
orderly. You'll find clean streets, groomed gardens, bistro cafes,
modern shopping malls, good restaurants, and accommodation to suite
your budget. The official language
of the country is English, but Afrikaans remains the 'Lingua Franca'
plus you'll find German spoken by many.
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The city nestles
in a valley having the Eros Mountains to the North and East, while
the Auas Mountains forms the borderline of the South and Western side
of the city. The altitude of 1650 meters is comparable to that of
Johannesburg. Temperatures in the summer can approach 40°c
and most people can be seen drifting into any of the large modern
air-conditioned shopping malls. During the winter months night-time
temperatures can drop below zero, and the air at this altitude is very
dry. You may want to apply lip-balm and use a skin
moisturizer after showering.
Windhoek has
a pleasant mixture of the city's historical buildings alongside modern high-rise
office complexes. You'll find old German-style building having steep snow-roofs
alongside modern high-rise office complexes. The city has plenty of modern shopping malls and sensible controls
regarding street traders. The African curio market area in The Post
Street Mall is orderly and tourist friendly and well
worth a stroll through. Have some fun. You'll enjoy the bargaining spirit
of the local vendors. It's usually courteous and often
entertaining.
There are quite a few points of interest which can be
seen lower down on the page with links to detailed descriptions.
Old Governor's House |
Christus Kirche |
Wecke & Voigts Store |
The Old & The New |
Sanlam Building |
Windhoek - What's in a name?
Until about 50 years ago when the demand on drinking
water was much less than today, the underground water at Windhoek was tapped
by artesian wells and came out of the ground at temperatures so hot that it
was channeled through a series of coolers before being distributed into the
city's piped system. The demands from an expanding population lowered the
water table, and in modern times Windhoek's water is mainly supplied from
the S. Von Bach Dam situated at Okahandja.
Before the white man came to Namibia. the Nama people
referred to the area as Ai-Gams which means "fire water". The Herero poeple
called the area Otjimuise, meaning "place of smoke" referring to the steam
that rose form the hot springs.
When the Oorlam Warlord Jonker Afrikaner, who
originated from the Klaver district of the Western Cape Province of South
Africa settled here in 1840 he named the area Windhoek. There was a larger
settlement in what is now Windhoek proper, and a smaller settlement in what
is now referred to as Klein (small) Windhoek.
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The Germans renamed the area Windhuk in 1903 and at
the time they also referred to the two areas as being separate and know as
Grosse and Klein WIndhuk.
Following the 1st World War the South Africans, who
were given the mandate over the territory, renamed the area Windhoek in 1919
and it has remained so until today.
As with most cities worldwide, Windhoek also has a minority criminal
element that tends to prey on visitors, so before proceeding with your
journey please read the following ►Your
Awareness and Safety
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Windhoek Area Attractions
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The Alte Feste is located on Robert Mugabe
Avenue and overlooks the city. This old German Fort now houses the
Namibia National Museum. Highly recommended and you should budget about
1 hour for your visit. The exhibits include archive photos from the
Herero Uprising of 1904, the history of the final liberation struggle,
the United Nations Transitional Period (1989-1990), Namibia's first
democratic election.
Time budget 1hr |
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The Geological Survey Museum is located in
the Ministry of Mines and Energy building situated in Aviation Rd. This
is near Eros Suburban Airport and directly opposite the Safari Hotel
Complex. The museum is not well advertised or known of, but is well
worth a visit. Here you can see a fascinating display of Namibia's
Geological wonders, including the remainder of the Gibeon Meteorites.
The exhibition of dinosaur fossils and Massospondylus seen at the left.
Time 1 hr |
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In the Post Street shopping mall, right in
the centre of town is where you can see the display of 32 of the
Gibeon Meteorites. This is the
largest shower of extra terrestrial bodies known to have landed on the
earth. The meteorites have a high nickel content and one has been
sliced in half, so you can see the shiny stainless-steel like interior
Time budget 10min |
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Heroes' Acre is a National Heritage Site and is
located about 5km south of Windhoek on the B1. Namibia was under
occupation by foreign colonial forces from 1884 to 1990 and this is our
National Memorial to the Heroes and Heroines who struggled and fought
for our Independence, which was finally achieved on 21 March 1990. The
guided tours are most informative, and a visit here will give you a
better appreciation of beautiful Namibia and its people.
Time budget 2hr
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Road Distances from Windhoek
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Cape Town |
Johannesburg |
Ariamsvlei |
Buitepos |
Noordoever |
Ngoma |
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1500 / 932 |
1801 / 1119 |
798 / 456 |
320 / 199 |
786 / 477 |
1278 / 794 |
Of Interest: Windhoek's Hosea Kutako International Airport is
45km East of the city.
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