Wilhelm Sander (10 December 1860, in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

– 22 November 1930, in

Lüderitz Lüderitz is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It lies on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island. Lüderitz had a population of 16,125 people in 2023. Th ...

) was a master

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and contractor working for Sander & Kock known for his work in

German South West Africa German South West Africa () was a colony of the German Empire from 1884 until 1915, though Germany did not officially recognise its loss of this territory until the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. German rule over this territory was punctuated by ...

, today's

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. Sander studied

Civil engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

Höxter Höxter () is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel. It lies the heart of the Weser Uplands, and is the seat of the Höxter district. The district of Höxter has a popul ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. He worked in

before joining the and repatriating to German South West Africa in 1901. One of his first works were the Swakopmund Railway Station, built in 1901, and the Swakopmund Lighthouse (1902). Also in

Windhoek Windhoek (; ; ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek, which ...

, his buildings today are all famous landmarks. The three castles of Windhoek, Heinitzburg, Schwerinsburg and Sanderburg, are what he is best known for here but he also built the Gathemann and Erkrath buildings and was involved in the erection of the

Tintenpalast The Parliament Building, Windhoek, also known as the ''Tintenpalast'' ( German for ''Ink Palace''), is the seat of both houses of the Parliament of Namibia (the National Council and the National Assembly). It is located in the Namibian capital o ...

. Sander also designed Duwisib Castle near Helmeringhausen, the German Lutheran church in

Keetmanshoop Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is named after , a German Empire, German industrialist and benefactor of the city. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023. History Before the colonial era, ...

, and many others. Wilhelm Sander was married twice: 1910 to Paola née Eck and 1921 to Else née Fröbel. He moved to

in 1922, where he stayed until his death in 1930.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sander, Wilhelm 19th-century German architects White Namibian people Colonial people of German South West Africa 1860 births 1930 deaths Artists from Berlin Namibian architects 20th-century German architects