Colonial History Walk: German East Africa to Independence
National Museum and House of Culture
We're starting our walk at a building that tells us something important: this city's story didn't begin with colonialism. The National Museum and House of Culture sits on land wher…
About this tour
Discover the fascinating colonial history of Dar es Salaam, from its origins as a German East African port to British rule and Tanzanian independence. This walking tour takes you through the historic downtown, featuring colonial-era architecture, monuments honoring African soldiers, and museums preserving the nation's complex heritage. Learn about the Askari soldiers, German administrators, and the journey to independence.
Tour Stops (6)
National Museum and House of Culture
We're starting our walk at a building that tells us something important: this city's story didn't begin with colonialism. The National Museum and House of Culture sits on land where Swahili merchants traded ivory, gold, and spices with partners from Arabia, India, and Persia centuries before any European power arrived.…
St Joseph's Catholic Cathedral (34895613805) | 🔗 wikipedia.org
BAKWATA Mosque Interior, Kinondoni ward, Kinondoni MC, Dar es Salaam | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Bank of Tanzania before dusk | Source: Wikipedia
Botanical Garden
The Germans who arrived in the 1890s saw Dar es Salaam's tropical climate and immediately thought: laboratory. In 1893, they established these botanical gardens as an experimental station, part of a methodical campaign to turn East Africa into a profitable agricultural colony. The 140 acres you see before you weren't m…
Bus rapid transit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Dar-es-Salam | Source: Wikipedia
Dar es Salaam at a bird's view | Source: Wikipedia
African Liberation Heritage Center
The seeds of liberation were planted even during colonial rule, and this center shows how they bloomed. By the 1960s, Dar es Salaam had become something unprecedented in Africa—a safe harbor for liberation movements from across the continent. While other nations were still fighting for independence, Tanzania under Juli…
Amani-TT4798 | Source: Wikipedia
Arusha Declaration Monument | Source: Wikipedia
City of Kilwa, 1572 | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Askari Monument
Here in the center of this roundabout stands a bronze soldier, rifle pointed downward, one foot stepping forward. This is the Askari Monument, unveiled in 1927 to honor African soldiers who fought in World War I's East African campaign. The word "askari" simply means soldier in Swahili, but these men's stories were any…
St Joseph's Catholic Cathedral (34895613805) | 🔗 wikipedia.org
BAKWATA Mosque Interior, Kinondoni ward, Kinondoni MC, Dar es Salaam | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Bank of Tanzania before dusk | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Kanisa Kuu la Mt. Yosefu (St.Joseph Cathedral Dar es Salaam)
St. Joseph Cathedral Dar es Salaam
The preservation work you just learned about becomes tangible as we encounter this magnificent cathedral, a testament to both German ambition and Tanzanian resilience. St. Joseph's Cathedral rises before you with twin spires that have marked Dar es Salaam's skyline since 1897. The German missionaries who commissioned i…
Old Boma
While the cathedral reached toward heaven, this building firmly planted German authority on Tanzanian soil. The Old Boma—from the Swahili word for "enclosure"—served as the administrative headquarters of German East Africa from the 1890s until the First World War ended their colonial presence. Look at how the architect…
Old Boma 2018 | 🔗 wikipedia.org
Tour Information
- Tour Type
- Walking tour
- Audio Language
- English
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