Windhek is in the south of the African continent and it is the capital of Namibia. It is a small city (the population is around 300 thousand people) and its altitude is 1,650 meters. It also used to be a German colony for a long time and only conquered its independence in 1990. “Windhoek”, in the Afrikaans language, a branch from the Germanic language spoken in South Africa and Namibia and it means “wind corner”. Although English is the official language, there are people who speak German and a dozen of other languages. It is surrounded by mountainous deserts and arid lands, Windhoek is a region characterized by hot days and cold nights.
There are historical monuments, such as museums, churches, parks, reserves, and even castles, still from the strong Germanic heritage in the city. One of these is the Alte Feste, a fortress located downtown and it was constructed to be the German military headquarters. Other important landmarks in Windhoek are the Christuskirche, a German Lutheran church and the Supreme Court building, due to their unique architecture.
For those of you who like nature, NamibRand is the place for you, as it is one of the largest natural private reserves in Africa, its area is over 2,020 km². Another option is the Daan Viljoen Game Reserve, a park 18 kilometers away from the city and there are first-class accommodations for visitors. The local landscape includes desert hills full of wildlife with over 200 species of exotic birds and mammals.
The food business in Windhoek has a strong German influence, such as Schwarzwälder cakes (black forest), cherries, and apfelstrudel (apple pie), as well as Springer chocolates, produced in the city. For those of you who are beer fans, you will be delighted savoring the collection of German beers at Joe’s Beerhouse Handcraft can be purchased at the Namibia Crafts Centre and at the Post St Mall.There are two airports in the capital. Eros, for smaller aircrafts, near the outskirts of Windhoek; however, the international airport is 42 kilometers from the eastern part of the city. There is a public university, an airline company, some bank networks and private services. Besides that, it houses the Southern African Customs Union, a free trade zone area and it has a common foreign tariff agreement among which include South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland. There is a free circulation of commercial goods in this area.