The Equestrian Monument, more commonly known under its German original name Reiterdenkmal and the name Südwester Reiter, was a monument in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It was inaugurated on 27 January 1912, the birthday of German emperor Wilhelm II. The monument honoured the soldiers and civilians that died on the German side of t…The Equestrian Monument, more commonly known under its German original name Reiterdenkmal and the name Südwester Reiter, was a monument in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. It was inaugurated on 27 January 1912, the birthday of German emperor Wilhelm II. The monument honoured the soldiers and civilians that died on the German side of the Herero and Namaqua War of 1904–1907, a situation that caused controversy about its role in a democratic Namibia that has shed its colonial occupation and gained independence.