Duwisib Castle A History Of The Castle And Its Owners
DUWISIB CASTLE, A GERMAN CASTLE IN SOUTHERN NAMIBIA Built in 1909 by retired Schutztruppe Captain Hansheinrich Von Wolf, the castle stands on the high ground looking south-wards onto a
DUWISIB CASTLE, A GERMAN CASTLE IN SOUTHERN NAMIBIA Built in 1909 by retired Schutztruppe Captain Hansheinrich Von Wolf, the castle stands on the high ground looking south-wards onto a ...
Duwisib Castle a history
Active Service: On 17 May 1905 Captain Von Wolf leading a patrol consisting of 28 Schutztruppe were engaged in battle at Kowes on the Auob River about 30kms south of Gochas. The enemy, the Franzmann Hottentots were lead by Captain Simon Kopper, an experienced bush fighter, and were a far superior force both in manpower and weaponry. The German patrol soon lost several officers and cavalrymen and it became apparent to Von Wolf that the most pragmatic action would be that of a planned hasty withdrawal in order to avoid a total disaster, leaving behind a field gun and weighty ammunition. German soldiers or civilians who were taken prisoner by the native forces were known to suffer from a slow and agonizing death. A following enquiry exonerated the Captain of any misdeeds and he returned to active duty where, on 25 September, he once again engaged in battle with Simon Kopper's forces at Aubes - 15 km south of Gochas, and again at Zwartfontein, north of Gochas on 13 October. The Captain must have performed his duties to the satisfaction of his superiors, for on 2 November 1905 he was awarded the Royal Prussian order of the Red Eagle, 4th Class with Swords; and on 27 January 1906 - the Royal Saxon order - Knight's Cross 1st Class with Swords.
Return to South West Africa: On 25 May 1907 the newly wed couple arrived at the port of Swakopmund where shortly after they boarded the train to Windhoek and booked into the KaiserKrone Hotel. Hansheinrich, though not a Baron by birth had a desire to become a Land Baron in the fledgling Colony and made application to the Government to purchase several farms within the of Duwisib totaling about 140,000 hectare. The application was treated with an amount of skepticism and he was granted Schwarzschaf- Duwisib as two lots of land totaling 20,000 for which he paid an average of 40 pfennig per hectare. He immediately submitted further application to purchase more land.
Duwisib Castle: The recent experience of the native uprising from 1904 - 1907 and the remoteness of the farm must have influenced the couple's decision as to the type of home they wanted when they commissioned the well know South West architect Wilhelm Sander to design for them a castle. Measuring 35 x 31 meters and built from locally quarried stone; equipped with heavy reinforced doors and small windows it can be seen that the building designed to withstand a siege. Sander incorporated the all of the comforts of a modern house. The plumbing and sanitation fittings along with steel and woodwork, cement and lighting all had to be shipped in from Germany and then be transported from Luderitz a further 300kms by oxen wagon. Hansheinrich and Jayta lived on-site in tents as did the construction team. The society girl proved to be a perfect match for the colonial military man, turned rancher, and settled into the outdoor life with ease. They both took an active part with the construction of the building and Hansheinrich planted the palm tress that can be seen in the courtyard to this day. By mid year the castle was taking shape.
The small, but impressive 'knight's' entrance hall had two fireplaces, a singer's gallery and beneath it a wine cellar. To the left was a reception room and dining room. The master bedroom lay to the right of the entrance hall and had a direct access to a bathroom that it shared with one of the family bed rooms that was accessed from the rear courtyard. Hanging on the east wall of the Knight's Hall are two beautiful examples of a cavalry saber and a military dress sword that were presents from his brother in law and are engraved ' Horst Von Metzsch S/L Hanheinrich Von Wolf '
Return to South West Africa: On 17 March 1909 the mail ship Windhoek sailed from Hamburg carrying the Von Wolf couple along with furniture and building supplies for their new house. They disembarked at Luderitz and trekked to Duwisib where considerable progress had been made. Mid 1909 witnessed the opening celebrations of Duwisib Castle in the form of a festival to which many of the colony's prominent society attended.
Hansheinrich also took an active interest in local affairs and in 1909 was elected to the District Council of Maltahohe and the 'Landesrat', an advisory assembly to the Colonial Government.
T he farm continued to grow and by 1911 the herd was up to 350 horses and he had been wise to see the opportunities of breeding the 'black gold' Karakul sheep. His flock had grown to 8,500. In 1912 he was elected to represent the farmers by sitting on the first Railways Council.
The Last Voyage: On 1 August 1914 Hansheinrich and Jayta boarded the mail ship Gertrud Woermann at Luderitz bound for Hamburg via Swakopmund . On 3 August the ship sailed from Swakopmund into a world of uncertainty. The following day the British Government, having received no timely response from Germany for the cessation of hostilities, declared war. The German merchant vessel known to be a transporter of military personnel took evasive action and diverted its' course to Brazil in order to avoid capture by the British Navy. It was through a series of clandestine moves that Hansheinrich eventually managed to make his way back to Germany and The War.
During the early part of 1915 Captain Hansheinrich Von Wolf reported for duty with his former regiment. He was promoted to rank of Major and was drafted to Flanders where he received minor wounds. Before he had fully recovered he was posted to France as Battery Commander of the Reserve Infantry Regiment N0. 242. On Monday 4 September near to the village of La Foret, Hansheinrich Von Wolf died from wounds received in the Battle of the Somme.
There is a small un-interesting room that leads from the Singer's Gallery. It's directly above the entrance door and has a small balcony. The outlook is over the mountain range to the south, and I suppose many people just wander in have a look at the view and wander out. However, if you look above you'll find a mural painted on the ceiling. There is a scene showing a Zeppelin. The man is holding what could be an ice-pick-axe. The white streak to the right of the air-ship is just cracked paint. At the time Duwisib Castle was built the Military Zeppelin was at the forefront of aerial technology and was representative of Germany's technological prowess. It is likely that the Von-Wolfs had seen such an airship whilst in Germany, and thought they would bring a first world memory to Africa with them. Within a period of 100 years, scientific advancements have seen the
Airship replaced by propeller and then jet powered aircraft, rocket power and men landing on the Moon, the Hubble Telescope, and deep space probes travelling far beyond the outer reaches of our solar-system.
Acknowledgements and further reading: GV6, H4, P2 ► Duwisib Castle 1
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