Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( Bahnoff St)
The Turnhalle was built in 1909 as a practise hall for the Windhoek Gym-
nastic Club, though in 1975 it was modernised and turned into a conference hall. On 1
September of that year it served as the venue for the first Constitutional Conference on
Independence for South West Africa, which subsequently - and more conveniently -
came to be called the Turnhalle Conference. During the 1980s the building hosted several
political summits and debates that paved the way to Namibian independence. It now
houses a tribunal for the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
HISTORIC BUILDING
Old Magistrates' Court
( cnr Lüderitz & Park Sts; 8am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri, 8am-1pm Sat)
This old court-
house was built in 1898 for Carl Ludwig, the state architect, but it was never used and was
eventually drafted into service as the magistrates' court. Take a look at the verandah on
the south side, which provided a shady sitting area for people waiting for their cases to be
called. The building has been given new life as the Namibia Conservatorium.
Kaiserliche Realschule
( Robert Mugabe Ave)
Windhoek's first German primary school was built in 1908, and
opened the following year with a class size of 74 students. Notice the curious turret with
wooden slats, which was designed to provide ventilation for European children unaccus-
tomed to the African heat. The building later housed Windhoek's first German high school
and an English middle school, and today it's the administrative headquarters of the Na-
tional Museum of Namibia.
HISTORIC BUILDING
MUSEUM
National Museum of Namibia
( Robert Mugabe Ave; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri, 3-6pm Sat & Sun)
There is an excellent dis-
play on Namibia's independence at the country's historical museum, which provides some
enlightening context to the struggles of this young country. But probably the most inter-
esting part of the museum is the rock-art display, with some great reproductions, and it
would definitely be worth a nose around before heading to the Brandberg or Twyfelfon-
tein.
It's housed in Windhoek's oldest surviving building, dating from the early 1890s, and
originally served as the headquarters of the German Schutztruppe. The rest of the museum
contains memorabilia and photos from the colonial period as well as indigenous artefacts.
