When we think of Namibia, the last thing that comes to mind is castles. But you will be pleasantly surprised to know that Namibia is actually home to 4! All of them were built by Welhelm Sander a well known architect of the time and three of the four castles are in Windhoek while the fourth one is in Maltahohe.
By embarking on a Namibia tour, you could quite easily come across one of these astounding structures, and when you do, it would be helpful to know something about them.
Schwerinsburg Castle
The biggest of the castles in Namibia is Schwerinsburg. Although the tower was built by Curt von Francois, it was sold to Wilhelm Sander a well-known architect in 1904 by the German Colonial Forces. Wilhelm Sander converted it into a beer garden. In 1913 Dr Hans Bogislav Graf von Schwerin bought it and once again asked Wilhem Sander to convert it into a place of residence. It continued to be a place of residence and today the Italian Ambassador to Namibia resides there.
Heinitzburg Castle
In 1914 Wilhem Sander built Heinitzburg Castle for himself. The castle was sold to Hans Graf von Schwerin in 1916 who named it after his wife’s birth name “von Heynitz”. The castle was built with love and elegance, set in the hills overlooking Windhoek. Today the love elegance can be appreciated as the current owners completely refurbished the castle in 2009 and today it is a luxury hotel.
Sanderburg Castle
Welhelm Sander built Sanderburg Castle between 1917 and 1919 as his own residence. This is the smallest of the four castles. He designed it with a combination of medieval features. Today Sanderburg Castle it is privately owned and used as a private residence.
Duwisib Castle
Duwisib Castle is situated roughly 70 km from the small town of Maltahohe. Maltahohe was founded by Henning von Burgsdorf in 1885 and today is home to about 2000 inhabitants. Duwisib Castle was built by a German Officer Baron Hansheinrich von Wolf. After coming to Africa during the Herero War, he decided to stay in Africa after marrying a wealthy American lady in 1907. His intention was to breed stud horses.
With wealth on his side, he bought the Farm Duwisib, and with the help of architect Wilhem Sander, the castle was built. Von Wolf successfully bred stud horses until World War One broke out and he enlisted. Unfortunately while fighting in France Von Wolf came to an untimely end. His wife never returned to Africa and the caste and farm fell into disrepair. Eventually, the state bought the farm and castle in 1978. In 1991 the castle was made a National Monument after it had been partially renovated. The rooms that can be viewed have been renovated and furnished in the style of that era. Unfortunately, the rest of the castle is in very poor condition.