About Windhoek

Namibia's capital, Windhoek, is situated in an airy basin in the central highlands, flanked by the Auas Mountains to the south-east, the Eros Mountains to the north-east and the rolling hills of the Khomas Hochland to the west.

Windhoek is a city of contrasts. Modern skyscrapers blend with historic buildings dating from the turn of the century; a pavement trade of African drums and wood carvings vies with a wide range of elegant shops offering sophisticated Swakara garments and Namibian gemstones set in individually-designed pieces of jewellery.

Eating Out in Windhoek

Windhoek's sidewalk cafés are a special feature, where Namibian-style breakfasts known as Frühschoppen can be enjoyed with a glass of chilled, sparkling wine or draught beer. Namibia's excellent range of locally brewed beers can be enjoyed at several traditional beer gardens. The city has a wide range of restaurants, including German, French, Korean, Italian, Spanish, African, Greek, Portuguese and Chinese cuisine.

Windhoek Hot Springs

Because of the area's plentiful hot springs, Windhoek was initially named Ai-Gams, a Nama word meaning "firewater", "steam" or "smoke" and Otjomuise, a Herero word meaning the "place of steam". The Nama captain, Jan Jonker Afrikaner, gave the town the name it carries today. In the early 1840s he settled where the most powerful spring reached the surface. It is thought that in a moment of nostalgia, he named the place after Winterhoek, the farm in the Cape where he was born. During the German colonial administration it was know as Windhuk, which later became Windhoek.

Around Windhoek

The main street is Independence Avenue, referred to before independence as Kaiser Street. The Post Street Mall has a large number of shops and boutiques, and is a favoured venue for street vendors selling rural art, African-style clothing, curios and jewellery. Mounted on steel columns and adding special interest to the Mall is the Meteorite fountain, where 31 of the original 77 Gibeon meteorites are displayed. The Gibeon shower, which is the largest known meteorite shower to fall to earth, occurred southeast of Gibeon in southern Namibia. The explorer, sir James Alexander, recorded the occurrence of the fragments in 1838. For many years the local Namas hammered the pieces into implements.