The German Embassy Windhoek is pleased to announce that, after an initial contribution in 2020, it will support the extensive repair and rehabilitation work on the Alte Feste building in Windhoek as part of a joint initiative by the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture and Namibia Art, Craft and Design (Craft Centre). For this, Namibia Art, Craft and Design will receive 3.2 million Namibian Dollar (160 000 EURO) for 2025- 2026 through the Federal Foreign Office’s Cultural Preservation Programme.

The aim of this joint initiative is to repair the building, which will serve as a new location for the Namibia Craft Centre and the National Genocide Museum. Other contributors to the joint initiative include the United States Ambassadors Cultural Fund for Preservation, First Rand Foundation and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture. The funding by the German government is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2025.

Dr. Thorsten Hutter, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany states: “The renovations of the building can facilitate the discussion about the colonial legacy among future generations and help us to learn from history. We applaud our Namibian and international partners for this initiative to turn the Alte Feste into a place of cultural exchange and remembrance.”

The Alte Feste, constructed in 1890 as the headquarters of the German Schutztruppe, stands as Windhoek’s oldest historical building. Following World War I, the building became the headquarters for South African Union troops, serving as a military headquarters until 1915 and then as a hostel for the Windhoek High School up to 1935. After Namibia’s independence, in 1990, it became the National Museum. However, by 2014, the Alte Feste was closed to the public. The German Foreign Office supported emergency measures at the Alte Feste in 2020.

By repurposing and upgrading the Alte Feste into a National Genocide Museum and Arts, Crafts and Heritage Centre of Excellence, the joint initiative aims to transform a relic of the German colonial era into a vibrant and accessible space that hold socio-economic and cultural relevance for all communities in contemporary Namibia.

The Alte Feste rehabilitation initiative is a joint project resulting from an agreement between the Namibia Art, Craft and Design and the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture.

Background

Since 1981, Germany has supported the preservation of cultural heritage in developing countries and of German cultural heritage abroad as part of the Cultural Preservation Programme of the Federal Foreign Office. As part of this programme, Namibia so far has received ca. 1,5 million Euros for the preservation of cultural heritage since 1985.