Franketurm

Franketurm (and battlefields)
National monument in Namibia
Monument type	War memorial ( battlefield )
location	Omaruru
Geographic coordinates :	21 ° 25 '13.8 " S , 15 ° 57' 38.7" E Coordinates: 21 ° 25 '13.8 " S , 15 ° 57' 38.7" E
Emergence	1906-1908
Recognized ; by the National Heritage Council	August 1, 1964 ; (April 21, 1972)
Deprivation
Sponsorship	Omaruru Parish
Website	NHC Namibia

The Franketurm (also Franke Tower or English Franke Tower ) is a defensive monument in Omaruru in Namibia and has been a national monument of the country since August 1, 1964 . The tower was inaugurated on February 4, 1908, to commemorate the relief of Omaruru by Victor Franke exactly four years earlier.

construction

The tower has a height of 20 meters and is accessible via an internal wooden staircase. On the roof platform there is a large metal bowl for setting a signal fire . In 1913 two stone walls were attached to the sides to commemorate a lime kiln that was more common in the former German South West Africa .

In front of the tower there is a cannon from 1874 and a cannon wagon from 1879. The tower is surrounded by a battlefield, which has also been a national monument since April 21, 1972.

There are bronze plaques on both sides of the entrance :

“In memory of the siege of Omaruru by the Ovaherero from January 17th. up to 4.2.1904 and to the relief from the battle of 4.2.1904. "
Names of the German soldiers who fell during the liberation of Omaruru.

Historical background

Victor Franke (around 1907)

On February 4, 1904, over 100 men of the Schutztruppe led by Victor Franke broke through the siege of 3,000 Herero . Previously, Franke had moved there in a 19-day march from Gibeon . In the course of the battle, in which the German troops also used two cannons, more than 100 Herero and seven Germans died. The Herero fled from the battlefield on which they had defended themselves under the cover of large stones. In April 1906, funds were collected for the construction of the Franketurm to commemorate the battle as part of a fundraising campaign . Every year on February 4th, Victor Franke is commemorated with a ceremony.