Woermann House, Monument

User Review:

• This building is a legacy of the Woermann Linie, the Shipping Company that was involved in importing and exporting to and from Swakopmund. Their Ship, the Maria Woermann, brought much needed ladies for the many single men who were stationed here in the early 1900's. The 'House' was a home for the family as well as a place where there were many gatherings where foreign trade partners were entertained. The Tower has 93 steps and the view from the top is never ending ! The Courtyard is a place of peace, protected from the wind and the atmosphere speaks volumes of the old days. One can almost hear the children running around and playing games. Today, our Public Library is housed in this building as well as the Childrens' Library. It also houses the Woermann Art Gallery, where there is a permanent exhibition of water colour paintings as well as a very large oil painting from the early 1900's. Ther is a shop where local crafts are offered for sale, which supports over a hundred people from the sales of the goods on offer. The original tiles have been preserved and are fascinating. The type of architecture is Hanseatic. The ceilings in the adult library are intact with their beautiful paintings, especially in the area that was used as the dancing area. The floors were recenly sanded and varnished, bringing out the true beauty of the wood used. When walking up the steps of the Tower, one feels entrenched in the history of the building and it is almost as if the thoughts from the people in those days are conveyed to you while you are climbing to the top. Imagine you are a young Schutztruppe and you are waiting for your beloved, you know that the ship she is on is due today, you are climbing to the top of the tower to get the first glimpse of her before the ship docks. only to run down the steps to meet ehr at the Swakopmund Jetty. Courtships lasted for three days and were chaperoned. On the fourth day all the Churches were booked for marriage ceremonies, after which you left Swakopmund to take up residence on a piece of land which would become your farm, most likely in the middle of nowhere to begin your new life. A place of hope, far away from the problems of Europe and before the War came to Africa. This building is both Romantic and Nostalgic and the imagination runs wild when thinking about those early days. Bookings for tours can be done in the shop in the courtyard. Today, the building is owned by the Municipality of Swakopmund and is very well preserved. WOW
• The description was provided by Karene Brewis