The old German government headquarters situated in

Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...

is a building constructed in 1891 by the Germans in a classical Prussian style.

History

Between 1891 and 1901, the building hosted the first German administrative headquarters in Cameroon. The headquarters were then transferred to

Buea Buea is the capital of the Southwest Region of Cameroon. The city is located in Fako Division, on the eastern slopes of Mount Cameroon, and has a population of 300,000 (at the 2013 Census). It has two Government Hotels, the Mountain Hotel and ...

, and then back to Douala in 1908 following the eruption of Mount Cameroon. The first German Governor,

Julius von Soden Julius Freiherr von Soden (5 February 1846 – 2 February 1921) was a German colonial administrator and politician. He was the Governor of the colonies of Kamerun and German East Africa, and later became ''Chef de Cabinet'' and Foreign Minister o ...

, in office from 1885 to 1891, divided the country into administrative areas. Von Soden launched military campaigns mostly within the hinterland, subjecting local kingdoms and imposing the German flag and law. His successor, Eugen von Zimmerer institutionalized the police through a decision dated 16 October 1891, as well as the colonial army, i.e. the

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 ...

. The latter was composed by German officers, black slave soldiers bought or enrolled in

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

. The Schutztruppe was assembled to complete the military conquest and maintain the colonial empire, which was challenged by local resistance up to the First World War. During the French Mandate, the capital was moved to

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

, with the decree of 1 March 1921 and the High Commissioner Delegate occupied the building. The building currently hosts Douala 1st district sous-préfécture. In 2006 the building is highlighted by an urban sign produced by

doual'art doual'art is a non profit cultural organisation and art centre founded in 1991 in Douala, Cameroon and focussed on new urban practices of African cities. History doual'art was registered as a non profit organization in 1992 and it was establish ...

and designed by Sandrine Dole; the sign presents an historical image of the building and a description of its history.
Old German government headquarters
' in ''Douala Ville d'art et d'histoire'', doual'art, Douala, 2006.

Architecture

It was one of the first structures in the heights of the Joss plateau of Douala built in concrete. Originally, it featured a flat roof of concrete-wood, covered with a 30 cm thick layer of sand. This structure did not endure the heavy rains and was replaced in the 1900 by a four-slopes roof.

References

{{Reflist

History

Architecture

See also

References

Further reading