Tourist Attractions in Namibia – Duwisib Castle
History, Accommodation and Facilities at the National Monument
Oct 19, 2009
Nestling in an arid region between the Kalahari Desert and the Namib Desert, Duwisib Castle surprises many visitors with the elaborate decorations and building style. Despite being declared a national monument of Namibia in 1991, the castle was never anything more than a private home, although it was originally intended to provide protection against enemy attacks.
History of Duwisib Castle in Namibia
Captain Hans-Heinrich von Wolf built Duwisib castle in 1908-1909 to serve as a home as well as a fortress to himself and his wife, Jayta. Von Wolf, a member of the Saxon nobility and an artillery captain in the Royal Saxon Army at Konigsbruck, Dresden, joined the Schutztruppe in Namibia and in 1904 was part of the soldiers suffering an attack by the Nama Rebels during which several field guns were lost as result of a tactical error according to Willie and Sandra Olivier, An African Adventurer's Guide to Namibia, Struik Publishers, 2003.
He returned to Germany in 1907 and married Jayta Humphries. The couple decided to settle in Namibia (then German South West Africa) and he commissioned the famous architect Willi Sander, to design a building similar to the castles at Gibeon, Namutoni and Windhoek. By then, Von Wolf owned approximately 140 000 hectares of land in the Maltahöhe district.
The builders imported all the material used to build the castle from Germany, save for the stone excavated from a quarry some 3 km away. Craftsmen from Italy and carpenters from Sweden, Denmark and Ireland contributed to the magnificent building still standing tall against the desert sky today.
Von Wolf joined the army in Germany again during World War I and subsequently died during the battles fought there. His wife never returned to Namibia and a Swedish family bought the property. Today speculation is rife that the wild horses of the Namib Desert around Aus, originated from the stud of Van Wolf's horses.
Why is Duwisib Castle a Popular Tourist Attraction in Namibia
With 22 rooms arranged in U-shape and enclosed by a wall on the open end, tourists can spend hours exploring the expert craftsmanship of the restored antique furniture still on display inside the castle. As the castle had to withstand attack from outside, most of the rooms do not have windows, but embrasures.
Once through the entrance, tourists walk into the main hall or Rittersaal from where a wooden staircase leads to the Herrenzimmer, a room where only men were allowed. On either side of the main room, lounges with lavishly embellished fireplaces add to the charm of the castle.
Downstairs of the main room, a cellar sporting feeding troughs for the animals bear evidence of the seriousness with which the castle was built to withstand outside attack.
Accommodation at and Around Duwisib Castle
Visitors to Duwisib Castle can overnight in the camping ground at the castle or stay at Farm Duwisib, which offers rooms and budget bungalows to accommodate tourists. The campground has warm and cold showers and ablutions and is generally well kept by the local people who share in the revenue generated by tourists visiting the castle. Facilities for day visitors are limited to picnic sites.
Other accommodation options are to stay at nearby town like Maltahöhe and visit the castle as a day visitor.
Namibia is littered with tourist attractions not to be missed, but a visit to Duwisib Castle should be on every tourist to Namibia's itinerary.
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