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St Barbara’s Church
Tsumeb’s distinctive Roman Catholic church was consecrated in 1914 and dedicated to St Barbara, the patron saint of mineworkers. It contains some fine colonial murals and an odd tower, which makes it look less like a church than a municipal building in some small German town.
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Nakambale Museum
Nakambale, which was built in the late 1870s by Finnish missionary Martti Rauttanen, is believed to be the oldest building in northern Namibia. It now houses a small museum on Owambo history and culture. Nakambale is part of Olukonda village, which is located 20km south of Ondangwa
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Lagoon
The shallow and sheltered 45,000-hectare lagoon, southwest of town and west of the Kuiseb River mouth, attracts a range of coastal water birds and enormous flocks of lesser and greater flamingos. It also supports chestnut banded plovers and curlew sandpipers, as well as the rare Da
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National Art Gallery
This art gallery contains a permanent collection of works reflecting Namibia’s historical and natural heritage. The collection displays works by Muafangejo – Namibia’s first black artist to gain international acclaim. His linocuts depict the liberation struggle from a religious and
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Tsumeb Arts & Crafts Centre
This craft centre markets Caprivian woodwork, San arts, Owambo basketry (also some great basketry from the San), European-Namibian leatherwork, karakul weavings, and other traditional northern Namibian arts and crafts. There’s a very helpful, jolly lady overseeing what is a small b
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State House
The site of the State House was once graced by the residence of the German colonial governor, but that was razed in 1958 and replaced by the present building, which became the home of the South African administrator until Independence. Today however, it serves as the official resid
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Litfass
In 1855, the Berlin printer Litfass came up with the notion of erecting advertising pillars on German street corners. For the citizens of early Swakopmund, they became a common source of information and advertising. The remaining example, Litfass-Saule , sits on the corner of Danie
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OMEG Haus
Swakopmund brims with numerous historic examples of traditional German architecture. Thanks to the narrow-gauge railway to the coast, the colonial company Otavi Minen und Eisenbahn Gesellschaft (OMEG), which oversaw the rich Otavi and Tsumeb mines, also maintained an office in Swak
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Bahnhof (Railway Station)
This ornate railway station, built in 1901 as the terminal for the Kaiserliche Eisenbahn Verwaltung (Imperial Railway Authority), connected Swakopmund to Windhoek. In 1910, when the railway closed down, the building assumed the role as main station for the narrow-gauge mine railway
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Kristall Galerie
This architecturally astute gallery features some of the planet’s most incredible crystal formations, including the largest quartz crystal that has ever been found. The adjacent shop sells lovely mineral samples, crystal jewellery, and intriguing plates, cups and wine glasses that
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Lake Oponono
The main attraction in the area is Lake Oponono, a large wetland fed by the Culevai oshanas (underground river channels). After a heavy rainy season, the lake shores attract a variety of birdlife, including saddlebill storks, crowned cranes, flamingos and pelicans. The edge of the
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Rhenish Mission Church
Walvis Bay’s oldest remaining building, the Rhenish Mission Church was prefabricated in Hamburg, Germany, reconstructed beside the harbour in 1880 and consecrated the following year. Because of machinery sprawl in the harbour area, it was relocated to its present site in the mid-20
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Locomotive No 41
At the train station stands Locomotive No 41, which was manufactured in 1912 by the Henschel company of Kassel, Germany, and then brought all the way to Namibia to haul ore between the Tsumeb mines and the port at Swakopmund. It was retired from service in 1960 when the 0.6m narrow
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Kaiserliches Bezirksgericht (State House)
This rather stately building was constructed in 1902 to serve as the district magistrates’ court. It was extended in 1905, and again in 1945 when a tower was added. After WWI it was converted into the official holiday home of the territorial administrator. In keeping with that trad
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Friedenskirche
In the churchyard and across the road from the 1876 Friedenskirche are the graves of several historical figures, including Herero leader Willem Maherero, Nama leader Jan Jonker Afrikaner and Hosea Kutako, the ‘father of Namibian independence’, who was the first politician to petiti
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Owambo Campaign Memorial
At the entry to the train station parking area, you’ll see the Owambo Campaign Memorial, which was erected in 1919 to commemorate the 1917 British and South African campaign against Chief Mandume of the Kwanyama Owambo. Heavily outmatched by the colonial armies, the chief depleted
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Swakopmund Military Museum
For years, the prominent Damara tower (formerly a water tower) of the Woermannhaus provided a landmark for ships at sea as well as for traders arriving by ox wagon from the interior. It now affords a splendid panorama, and houses the Swakopmund Military Museum and a gallery of hist
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Goerke Haus
The sheer scale of Goerke Haus and the way it blends into the rockface is very impressive. Originally the home of Lieutenant Hans Goerke, and designed by architect Otto Ertl and constructed in 1910 on Diamond Hill, it was one of the town’s most extravagant properties. The house has
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Van Zyl’s Pass
The beautiful but frightfully steep and challenging Van Zyl’s Pass forms a dramatic transition between the Kaokoveld plateaus and the vast, grassy expanses of Otjinjange Valley (Marienflüss). This winding 13km stretch isn’t suitable for trailers and may only be passed from east to
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Burnt Mountain
Southeast of Twyfelfontein rises a barren 12km-long volcanic ridge, at the foot of which lies the hill known as Burnt Mountain, an expanse of volcanic clinker that appears to have been literally exposed to fire. Virtually nothing grows in this eerie panorama of desolation. Burnt Mo
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