Windhoek (/ˈwɪndhʊk/;Afrikaans:[ˈvəntɦuk]ⓘ;German:[ˈvɪnthʊk]ⓘ) is the capital and largest city ofNamibia. It is located in central Namibia in theKhomas Highland plateau area, at around 1,700 m (5,600 ft) above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, was 486,169 in 2023,[2] is constantly growing due to a continued migration from other regions in Namibia.
Windhoek is the social, economic, political, and cultural centre of the country. Nearly every Namibian national enterprise, governmental body, educational and cultural institution is headquartered there.
The city developed at the site of a permanent hot spring known to the localpastoral tribes. It developed rapidly afterJonker Afrikaner,Captain of theOrlam, settled there in 1840 and built a stone church for his community. In the decades following, multiple wars and armed hostilities resulted in the neglect and destruction of the new settlement. Windhoek was founded a second time in 1890 byImperial German Army MajorCurt von François, when the territory was colonised by theGerman Empire.
Theories vary on how the city got its modern name of Windhoek. Most believe it is derived from theAfrikaans wordswind (meaning wind) andhoek (meaning corner). Another theory suggests that CaptainJonker Afrikaner named Windhoek after theWinterhoek Mountains atTulbagh in South Africa, where his ancestors had lived. The first known mention of the nameWindhoek was in a letter from Jonker Afrikaner to Joseph Tindall, dated 12 August 1844.[3]
In 1840Jonker Afrikaner established an Orlam settlement at Windhoek.[4] He and his followers stayed near one of the main hot springs, located in the present-dayKlein Windhoek suburb.[5] He built a stone church that held 500 people; it was also used as a school. TwoRhenishmissionaries,Carl Hugo Hahn andFranz Heinrich Kleinschmidt, started working there in late 1842. Two years later they were driven out by two MethodistWesleyans, Richard Haddy and Joseph Tindall.[6][7] Gardens were laid out and for a while Windhoek prospered. A series of wars between theNama andHerero tribes eventually destroyed the settlement. After a long absence, Hahn visited Windhoek again in 1873 and was dismayed to see that nothing remained of the town's former prosperity. In June 1885, a Swissbotanist found onlyjackals and starvingguinea fowl amongst neglected fruit trees.[8]
Windhoek before 1908German South West Africa stamp postmarkedWindhukSanderburg, one of the three castles of Windhoek
A request by merchants fromLüderitzbucht resulted in the declaration in 1884 of a Germanprotectorate over what was calledGerman South West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika), now Namibia. The borders of the German colony were determined in 1890 and Germany sent a protective corps, theSchutztruppe under MajorCurt von François, to maintain order.[9] Von François stationed his garrison at Windhoek, which was strategically situated as a buffer between the warringNama andHerero peoples.[10] The twelve strong springs provided water for the cultivation of produce and grains.
Colonial Windhoek was founded on 18 October 1890, when von François fixed the foundation stone of the fort, which is now known as theAlte Feste (Old Fortress).[11][12] After 1907, development accelerated as indigenous people migrated from the countryside to the growing town to seek work. More European settlers arrived from Germany and South Africa. Businesses were erected on Kaiser Street (presentlyIndependence Avenue), and along the dominant mountain ridge over the city. At this time, Windhoek's three castles,Heinitzburg,Sanderburg, andSchwerinsburg, were built.
The German colonial era came to an end after the end ofWorld War I butSouth West Africa, and with it Windhoek, had already fallen in 1915.[13] Until the end of the war, the city was administered by a South African military government, and no further development occurred.[14] In 1920, after theTreaty of Versailles, the territory was placed under aLeague of NationsClass C mandate and again administered by South Africa.[15]
AfterWorld War II, more capital became available to improve the area's economy. After 1955, large public projects were undertaken, such as the building of new schools and hospitals, tarring of the city's roads (a project begun in 1928 with Kaiser Street), and the building of dams and pipelines to stabilise the water supply.[8] The city introduced the world's first potable re-use plant in 1958, treating recycled sewage and sending it directly into the town's water supply.[16] On 1 October 1966, the then Administrator of South West Africa granted Windhoek the coat of arms, which was registered on 2 October 1970 with the South African Bureau of Heraldry. Initially a stylized aloe was the principal emblem, but this was amended to a natural aloe (Aloe littoralis) on 15 September 1972. The Coat of Arms is described as "A Windhoek aloe with araceme of three flowers on an island. Crest: A mural crownOr. Motto: SUUM CUIQUE (To each their own)".[17]
Windhoek formally received itstown privileges on 18 October 1965 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the second foundation of the town by von François.[18]
In 1971, theNamibian general contract workers started from Windhoek with the goal of abolishing the contract labour system, opposingapartheid, and promoting Namibia's independence.[19]
Since independence in 1990, Windhoek has remained the national capital, as well as the provincial capital of the centralKhomas Region. Since independence and the end of warfare, the city has had accelerated growth and development.
The city is the administrative, commercial, and industrial centre of Namibia. A 1992/93 study estimated that Windhoek provides over half of Namibia's non-agricultural employment, with its national share of employment in utilities being 96%, in transport and communication 94%, finance and business services 82%.[20] Due to its relative size[21] Windhoek is, even more than many other national capital cities, the social, economic, and cultural centre of the country. TheUniversity of Namibia is based in the city, as well as nearly every national enterprise, including the country's only theatre, all ministry head offices, and all major media and financial entities.[22] The governmental budget of the city of Windhoek nearly equals those of all other Namibian local authorities combined.[23] Of the 3,300 US$-millionaires in Namibia, 1,400 live in Windhoek.[24]
The Windhoek Correctional Facility is the largest of Namibia's seven major prisons.[25]
Windhoek's three main access roads fromRehoboth,Gobabis, andOkahandja are paved, and are designed to be able to withstand the largest possible flood to be expected in fifty years. Sealed roads can carry traffic moving at 120 km/h (75 mph) and should last for 20 years.
In 1928, Kaiserstraße, nowIndependence Avenue, was the first paved road in Windhoek. Ten years later the next one, Gobabis road, now Sam Nujoma Drive, was also paved. Today, out of approximately 40,000 km (25,000 mi) of Namibia's total road network, about 5,000 km (3,100 mi) issealed.
In 2014, The Roads Authority planned to upgrade the Windhoek-Okahandja road to a dual carriageway. It would cost about N$1 billion and was expected to be completed in 2021. Later on, they also planned to upgrade the Windhoek and Hosea Kutako International Airport to a dual carriageway. This was expected to be completed in 2022.
As everywhere in Namibia, public transport is scarce and transportation across town is largely done by taxi; there were 6,492 registered taxis in 2013.[26]
Windhoek is served by two airports, with the closest one beingEros Airport, located 7 km (4.3 mi) south of the city centre for smaller craft, and the other beingHosea Kutako International Airport, 42 km (26 mi) east of the city. A number of foreign airlines operate to and from Windhoek. Air charters and helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft rentals are also available.
Hosea Kutako International Airport handles over 800,000 passengers a year. It has one runway without capacity limitations. The other international airport is located inWalvis Bay, with domestic airports atLüderitz,Oranjemund, andOndangwa.
Eros Airport is the busiest airport in Namibia in terms of takeoffs and landings.[27] This city airport handles approximately 150 to 200 movements per day, amounting to roughly 50,000 per year. In 2004, the airport served 141,605 passengers, the majority of which are light aircraft. Primarily, limitations such as runway length, noise, and air space congestion have kept Eros from developing into a larger airport. Most of Namibia's charter operators have Eros as their base.
Expanding the town area has – apart from financial restrictions – proven to be challenging due to its geographical location. In southern, eastern and western directions, Windhoek is surrounded by rocky, mountainous areas, which make land development costly. The southern side is not suitable for industrial development because of the presence of undergroundaquifers. This leaves the vastBrakwater area north of town the only feasible place for Windhoek's expansion.[28]
Windhoek's city council has plans to dramatically expand the city's boundaries such that the town area will cover 5,133.4 km2 (1,982.0 sq mi). Windhoek would become the third-largest city in the world by area,[citation needed] afterTianjin andIstanbul, although its population density is only 63 inhabitants per square kilometre.[29]
In many of Windhoek's townships residents live inshacks. In 2020 the city had a total of 41,900 of these informal housing structures, accommodating close to 100,000 inhabitants.[32]
Windhoek has over 300 sunny days per year.[33] It experiences a hotsemi-arid climate (BSh) according toKöppen climate classification as the annual average temperature is above 18 °C (64 °F). The temperature throughout the year would be called mild, due to altitude influence. The annual average high and low temperature range is 13.4 °C (24.1 °F). The coldest month is July, with an average temperature of 13.1 °C (55.6 °F), while the hottest month is December, with average temperature 23.5 °C (74.3 °F). Due to its location near theKalahari Desert, the city receives 3,605 hours of sunshine. Precipitation is abundant during the summer season, and minimal during the winter season. The average annual precipitation is 367.4 mm (14.46 in), with lows of 106.7 mm (4.20 in) in the 2018/19 rainy season, and 97 mm (3.8 in) in 1929/30.[34]
In 1971, there were roughly 26,000 whites living in Windhoek, outnumbering the black population of 24,000. About one third of white residents at the time, at least 9,000 individuals, were German speakers.[37] Windhoek's population currently[update] stands at over 325,858 (65% black; 18% other; 17% white), and is growing 4% annually in part due toinformal settlements that have even higher growth rates of nearly 10% a year.[28] In public life,Afrikaans, and to a lesser extentGerman, are still used as lingua francas even though the government only uses English. Currently Windhoek has a population of 431,000 as of 2020.[38]
Windhoek is the only self-governed settlement in Khomas Region. It is governed by a multi-party municipal council that has fifteen seats.[40] The council meets monthly; its decisions are taken collectively.
Alte Feste – (Old Fortress) Built in 1890, today houses the National Museum.
Curt von François monument in front of the municipality building. Inaugurated on 18 October 1965 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the second foundation of the town by von François. The statue was removed from its location, in front of the municipal grounds, on the 23 November 2022 and will be stored in the local Windhoek City Museum.[18]
Heroes' Acre – A national war and heroes memorial, about 10 km outside of the city.
Reiterdenkmal (Equestrian Monument), a statue celebrating the victory of the German Empire over the Herero and Nama in theHerero and Namaqua War of 1904–1907[50] The statue was removed from its historical place next toChristuskirche in December 2013 and is now on display in the yard of theAlte Feste.[51]
Supreme Court of Namibia – situated in Michael Scott Street on Eliakim Namundjebo Plaza. Built between 1994 and 1996[52] it is Windhoek's only building erected after independence in an African style of architecture.[53]
Tintenpalast – (Ink Palace) within Parliament Gardens, the seat of both chambers of theParliament of Namibia. Built between 1912 and 1913 and situated just north ofRobert Mugabe Avenue.
Turnhalle – neo-classicist building of Wilhelmine architecture, inaugurated in 1909.[55]
Zoo Park – a public park onIndependence Avenue in downtown Windhoek. The current park is landscaped and features a pond, playground and open-air theatre.[56]
Men'sbaseball was introduced to Namibia in 1950 at the Ramblers sports club in town.
The 'Tony Rust Raceway' is located west of Windhoek on the Daan Viljoen road and reopened in 2007.[60]Farm Windhoek, located adjacent to the townlands and owned by the municipality, is a sports venue for hiking, running, and mountain biking.
^Tonchi, Victor L; Lindeke, William A; Grotpeter, John J (2012).Historical Dictionary of Namibia. Historical Dictionaries of Africa, African historical dictionaries (2 ed.). Scarecrow Press.ISBN9780810879904.Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved4 July 2016.
^Vedder, Heinrich (1997).Das alte Südwestafrika. Südwestafrikas Geschichte bis zum Tode Mahareros 1890 [The Old South West Africa. South West Africa's History until Maharero's death 1890] (in German) (7th ed.). Windhoek: Namibia Scientific Society.ISBN0-949995-33-9.
^"Stationsnummer 68110"(PDF). Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved2 November 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"Mayoral Annual Report 2016"(PDF).windhoekcc.org.na. Windhoek. 2016. p. 34.Archived(PDF) from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved21 October 2020.
^"Twinning agreements".joburg.org.za. City of Johannesburg.Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved21 October 2020.
^J. Gordon Melton, Martin Baumann, ‘‘Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices‘‘, ABC-CLIO, USA, 2010, p. 2012-2013
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