Duwisib Castle

Hansheinrich von Wolf, a German officer, married an American heiress and built this castle in 1909 in empty desert southwest of Maltahohe, with a Swakopmund architect, Italian stonemasons and much of the fittings shipped in from Germany. He was killed at the Somme in 1916 and his wife never returned. The building is a genuine oddity: a fortified U-shaped stone house with a courtyard, standing in gravel plain with nothing around it for a long distance.

What you actually see

• The stone house - a fortified 1909 building with a courtyard, in empty desert.
• The imported fittings - furniture and materials shipped from Europe for the build.
• The setting - gravel plain and mountains with no other buildings in sight.
• The story - a house built for a marriage that ended at the Somme.

When to go

March to October is the cooler window. The castle keeps daytime hours and closes for a midday break. Summer heat is severe and the roads are dusty.

Honest expectations

The interior is sparsely furnished and the visit takes an hour. The gravel roads in are long and corrugated. Facilities are limited to the campsite and a small shop.

Nearby

Maltahohe is northeast, and the NamibRand reserve is northwest.