The Alte Feste (Old Fortress) is a fortress and museum in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

, the capital of

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

. The building was designed by captain

Curt von François Curt Karl Bruno von François (2 October 1852 – 28 December 1931) was a German geographer, cartographer, Schutztruppe officer and commissioner of the imperial colonial army of the German Empire, particularly in German South West Africa (today ...

to serve as headquarters of the imperial German ''

Schutztruppe (, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned ...

'' (colonial military force) during German colonization of South West Africa. The location of Windhoek, which was deserted and completely destroyed at that time, was chosen because the Germans felt it would serve as a buffer zone between the Nama and Herero tribes. The fort was, however, never involved in any military action. The foundation was laid on 18 October 1890 by then ''Schutztruppe'' private Gustav Tünschel. The building was redesigned multiple times during the first years; its final layout was only completed in 1915. It consists of an inner courtyard with high walls and accommodation for the troops on the inside, as well as four towers. Alte Feste is the oldest surviving building in the city which subsequently developed around it. After the World War I German surrender in

South West Africa South West Africa ( af, Suidwes-Afrika; german: Südwestafrika; nl, Zuidwest-Afrika) was a territory under South African administration from 1915 to 1990, after which it became modern-day Namibia. It bordered Angola ( Portuguese colony before ...

Windhoek was occupied by the

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. T ...

in March 1915. Alte Feste now served as military headquarters for the South African Union troops. In 1935 the fort was used for a more peaceful purpose when it was converted into a hostel for the adjacent

Windhoek High School Windhoek High School (WHS) is a secondary school in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. Popularly known as ‘’The Blue School’’, it was founded on 5 February 1917, making it one of the oldest existing schools in the country. Currently, WHS is ...

. Already severely dilapidated, it was declared a National Monument in 1957. The building was renovated extensively in 1963, and since then accommodates the National Museum of Namibia.Windhoek, Namibia - TravelButlers.com
/ref> In 2010, the Reiterdenkmal, Windhoek's well-known equestrian monument, was placed in front of Alte Feste. It was removed and placed in storage on Christmas Day in 2013.

References

{{coord, 22.5694, S, 17.0883, E, source:dewiki_region:NA_type:landmark, format=dms, display=title Buildings and structures in Windhoek German-Namibian culture History of Windhoek Museums in Namibia National Monuments of Namibia Castle museums