We were in for another four-hour drive that day, up north to Maltahohe. The small town of Maltahohe, which lies on the edge of the Swartrand escarpment, has a main road, around a kilometer long, that runs through its centre and is fringed by a few small shops, a country hotel, a petrol station, and towered over by an imposing Dutch Reformed Church.
Our guide took us there to see the Duwisib Castle, a grand pseudo-medieval-looking fortress on the hills of the semi-arid Southern Namib region. Built in the early 1900s by a German artillery officer for his wealthy American wife, this red sandstone abode almost looks out-of-place in the middle of the desert that a lot of first-timers actually mistake it for a mirage. After all, who would think of finding a Middle Ages-themed castle complete with a defence tower and brick battlements in this part of Africa?
But there it was, standing tall and beckoning us to come and discover its secrets. The lone quiver tree in front of its façade, surrounded by desert shrubs and rocks greeted us as we approached this surreal castle. Our guide warned us not to expect too much grandeur. This was more like a novelty than a spectacle, according to him, but it would give us a glimpse of what it was like to live in luxury during the German colonial times.
In his days, the baron made this his home and even established a stud farm beside it, where he bred horses (and rumour has it that the feral horses of the Namib Desert are descendants of these thoroughbreds that broke loose and ran away). Unfortunately, during the First World War, he enlisted in the army and died in France in 1916. His wife, who was in Europe, never went back to Africa and instead settled in Zurich and remarried there, leaving the castle and all its contents behind (including the aforementioned horses). The state bought the property in 1978, and in 1991, it was renovated, turned into a museum, and declared a national monument.
Inside, we toured the rooms and looked at the furniture, mostly brought from Germany by ship, as well as some military artifacts and black-and-white photographs from that extravagant era. There were displays of swords and armours, ornamental weapons, a collection of 18th and 19th century antiques, copperplate engravings, and magnificent paintings. The logistical challenge of transporting the building materials and these decorative items from the hills and the harbour was a testament of the baron’s labour of love for his bride.
The castle itself is an architectural marvel. It was designed after the Wilhelmenian Neo-Romantic style with some Gothic and Renaissance elements. One enters the castle through the tower where a vestibule leads to a knights’ hall. Above the vestibule is the gallery, on the left, the grand dining rooms, and on the right, the private rooms of the owners. It did look like a house frozen in time, and if not for its stillness typical of obscure museums, it was easy to imagine that the baron and his wife just left the week before.
At the back, enclosed by the U-shaped brick structures, was a small courtyard, where one can relax under the shade of majestic trees. We sat there for a bit while our tour mates took photos inside.
There is accommodation available within the premises, for the property was also turned into a resort, but we were not staying here.
On our way to our lodge, we passed by several oxen and horse-driven carts, and our guide joked that “two to four-real-horsepower” vehicles in this area are the transportation of choice. I tried to imagine these very same vehicles carrying blocks of sandstone quarried from the hills to be used in building the baron’s castle and all those heavy furniture pieces and accessories that were brought from the harbour. I felt bad for them.
Photo Credits:
madbookings.com, info-namibia.com, travelnewsnamibia.com, curbsideclassic.com
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