Heldenacker (Windhoek)
| National Heroes' Acre | |||
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National monument in Namibia 
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| Monument type | War memorial | ||
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| Geographic coordinates : | 22 ° 39 '47 .5 " S , 17 ° 4' 41.5" E | ||
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| Emergence | 2002 | ||
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Recognized by the National Heritage Council |
2002 | ||
| Deprivation | |||
| Sponsorship | state | ||
| Website | NHC Namibia | ||
The hero field (officially English National Heroes' Acre ) is an official war memorial Namibia .
The Heldenacker is about ten kilometers outside the capital Windhoek on the B1 towards Rehoboth . The memorial opened on August 26, 2002 and has been open to visitors ever since. It serves to “cultivate patriotism and national consciousness and to pass on the legacy to future generations of Namibia” (“foster a spirit of patriotism and nationalism, and to pass on the legacy to the future generations of Namibia”).
The memorial was erected on an area of almost seven square kilometers. The costs are estimated at at least 60 million Namibian dollars .
construction
Like the new State House in Windhoek- Auasblick , the military museum in Okahandja and the Independence Memorial Museum , the Heroes' Field was planned and built by the North Korean company Mansudae Overseas Projects . This was the express request of the government and took place without a public tender . As with many projects of this kind in Namibia (including the construction of the Independence Memorial Museum), this led to controversy among the population.
Since the beginning of 2005, the newspaper The Namibian has reported problems with the structure of the monument and signs of wear and tear that can be traced back to the cheap North Korean construction method.
investment
The Heldenacker is a modern complex, comparable to magnificent communist buildings, on an area of 732 hectares between two hills of the Auas Mountains . The actual monument complex is 287 meters long and 134 meters wide and includes 174 graves, among other things. At the foot of the monument hill, there are almost 10,000 m² of parking spaces. The entire area is surrounded by high fences and is constantly monitored by security personnel.
The monument complex is dominated by a white obelisk and a gold soldier statue. The obelisk is made of white marble and granite from the Karibib region . It can already be seen from the center of Windhoek.
The hero field is laid out as a symmetrical polygon and includes in detail:
- The “platform of greeting” at the bottom of the monument
- An open-air stage with 5000 seats
- The 174 tombs
- The obelisk
- The 8 meter high statue of the unknown soldier
- The Eternal Flame
- The stairs to the observation pavilion
Gravesites
Well-known Namibians, especially those who served in the struggle for freedom and who have received official hero status , are buried in the 174 graves . These include:
- Dimo Hamaambo
- Hidipo Hamutenya
- Nickey Iyambo
- Richard Kapelwa Kabajani
- Anton Lubowski
- Anna Mungunda
- Peter Mweshihange
- John Pandeni
- Moses Penaani Tjitendero
- Andimba Toivo ya Toivo
- Peter Tsheehama
inauguration
After a construction period of 13 months, the Heldenacker was founded by Namibia's founder-president, Sam Nujoma , on August 26, 2002 with the words “The blood of all these sons and daughters of Namibia watered the tree of our liberty and will always be remembered by present and future generations of the Republic of Namibia ”(“ The blood of all our sons and daughters in Namibia has watered the tree of our freedom and will always be remembered by present and future generations of the Republic of Namibia ”).
Sam Nujoma pointed out that the Heroes' Field is a monument to all Namibians and independent of z. B. Race or religion should remind all Namibians of the struggle for freedom.
gallery
The Heldenacker Namibia from a bird's eye view (2017)
Obelisk and soldier statue
Soldier statue
