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 died 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.

History

Hans Heinrich von Wolf, a Saxon artillery officer born in Dresden in 1873, married Jayta Humphreys, stepdaughter of the US consul, on 8 April 1907. They bought eight farms covering 20,000 hectares near Maltahöhe for a stud of thoroughbred horses, the architect Wilhelm Sander designed the castle, and building began in 1908; since 1979 it has belonged to the government (Wikipedia, Duwisib Castle).

What to look for

• 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, left empty after 1916.

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.

What to expect

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.

Key facts