Why does Elisabeth House stand so prominently? Elisabeth House began as a crucial solution for settler families in German South West Africa. Back then in 1907 families lived far apart. Transportation was slow and uncomfortable. Medical help often arrived too late. Expectant mothers faced a great risk.
German organizations called for a maternity home in Windhoek. Donations poured in from Germany. On October 20 1907 the first stone was laid. Construction finished shortly after. The Women’s League of the German Colonial Society contributed the most. Duchess Elisabeth of Mecklenburg chaired the league. Therefore it was named Elisabeth House.
In 1908 a Red Cross flag announced each birth. Elisabeth House stood alone on the rise. The flag signaled fathers celebrating on Kaiser Street now Independence Avenue.
World War One began. Yet Elisabeth House expanded. The two parts connected with a roofed passage. A stork weather vane gave it the nickname The Stork’s Nest.
Elisabeth House closed on April 1 1981. Over 73 years 12669 babies were born here. In 1986 Elisabeth House became a national monument.
Architect Gottlieb Redecker erected the first part between 1907 and 1908. The Deutsche Kolonialgesellschaft initiated it. The Frauenverein vom Roten Kreuz fuer Deutsche ueber See administered it. Between 1914 and 1915 Wilhelm Sander designed the extension.
The German imperial government donated the land. The Kolonialgesellschaft raised construction funds. In 1912 parts of the stoep were walled in. During the war the house sheltered Germans. After its closure in 1981 the Academy of Tertiary Education now UNAM received the house. Today it houses the Polytechnic of Namibia’s history center. It was Windhoek’s first maternity ward. Other Elisabeth Houses were in Grootfontain. They were planned for Omaruru and Gobabis too.
Elisabeth House now reflects an architectural symbiosis. Two German architects designed its different buildings during the colonial period. From 1908 to 1981 it served as a maternity ward. Now the building is part of the Polytechnic of Namibia.
Today Elisabeth House stands as a testament to Windhoek’s history. It began as a sanctuary for new life. It evolved into an educational hub. Elisabeth House connects the past and present. Its walls echo with stories of birth resilience and transformation.