Tintenpalast

The road east from Alte Feste leads to the Tintenpalast, now the parliament building, which was designed by Gottlieb Redecker and built in 1913 as the administrative headquarters for German South-West Africa. The name means 'Ink Palace', in honour of all the ink spent on the typically excessive government paperwork it generated. It has also served as the nerve centre for all subsequent governments, including the present one.

The building is remarkable mainly for its construction from indigenous materials. The surrounding gardens were laid out in the 1930s, and include an olive grove and a bowling green. In front, have a look at Namibia's first post-independence monument, a bronze-cast statue of the Herero chief, Hosea Kutako, who was best known for his vociferous opposition to the South African rule. Forty-five-minute tours are conducted on weekdays, except when the assembly is in session; reserve by phoning 288 5111.