Ancien Hôpital Général

The Ancien Hôpital Général of Douala — informally known as the Nachtigal Hospital — was built in 1896 during German colonial rule and is one of the oldest surviving colonial-era structures in the Cameroonian port city. It bears the name of Gustav Nachtigal, the German colonial administrator who signed the 1884 protectorate agreement with Cameroonian chiefs, bringing the territory under imperial control. The building survived the Anglo-French takeover during World War I and Cameroon's independence in 1960, making it a rare standing remnant of the Wilhelmine colonial period in West Africa. With little interpretive signage and a weathered facade, it rewards visitors interested in colonial history and early tropical medicine more than general tourists.