Schwerinsburg is the biggest of three castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

s in Windhoek

Windhoek

Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...

, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

. Today is the private residence of the Italian ambassador in Namibia.

History

During the time of the construction of Alte Feste

Alte Feste

The Alte Feste is a fortress and museum in downtown Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It was designed by Curt von François and made provision for an inner courtyard with high walls and accommodation for the troops on the inside, as well as four towers...

 in 1890 the tower of Schwerinsburg was built by Curt von François

Curt von Francois

Curt Karl Bruno von François was a military and political figure in the early days of German colonialism in Africa. He is remembered as one of the pioneers of German Southwest Africa ....

, commissioner of German South-West Africa

German South-West Africa

German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...

. In 1904 Schutztruppe

Schutztruppe

Schutztruppe was the African colonial armed force of Imperial Germany from the late 19th century to 1918, when Germany lost its colonies. Similar to other colonial forces, the Schutztruppe consisted of volunteer European commissioned and non-commissioned officers, medical and veterinary officers. ...

 (the German colonial forces) sold it to architect Wilhelm Sander

Wilhelm Sander

Wilhelm Sander was a master architect and contractor working for Sander & Kock known for his work in German South-West Africa, today's Namibia....

who converted it into a beer garden and named it Sperlingslust.

In 1913 Hans Bogislav Graf von Schwerin bought Sperlingslust from Sander and engaged him to convert it into a castle. It was later named Schwerinsburg after the new owner.