"Meet you at the Kudu!" Top 5 Page for this destination Windhoek Things to Do Tip by CatherineReichardt

The bronze kudu statue at the intersection of Independence Avenue and John Meinhert Street is one of Windhoek's best loved statues and is a popular landmark for people to meet.

The story of its origins goes as follows (courtesy of the A-Z Online website):

"A visiting sculptor, Professor Fritz Behn of Munich, once drew a kudu in the guest book of Mrs. Olga Levinson, former President of the Art Association. “What a marvelous monument that would make”, she commented. Mr. Ernst Behnsen, a prominent Windhoek businessman offered to pay the total cost of the bronze sculpture. Professor Behn designed, sculpted and cast the life-size statue in Munich. The Town Council provided a suitable site and constructed a pedestal near a fountain in front of the High Court in today´s Independence Avenue, which was unveiled in 1960. The Kudu statue, a “spirit of hope”, in combination with outstanding artistic craftsmanship, symbolizes a shared passion for the beautiful abundance of the country's wild"

How bizarre that this iconic African animal should have been crafted in Bavaria!