The Legend of Casa Winter
For decades, rumors swirled around Casa Winter in Cofete, Fuerteventura—a solitary house perched on the remote Jandía Peninsula. Whispers tied it to Nazi conspiracies: a hideout for Hitler, a submarine base, or a refuge for fleeing war criminals. But the truth, buried under layers of sensationalism, is far more compelling than fiction. Gustav Winter, the German who built the house, led an extraordinary life—one of resilience, reinvention, and an unshakable love for this windswept corner of the Canary Islands.
A Man of Many Lives
Gustav Winter (1893–1971) was no Nazi operative. He survived three wars, escaped British captivity during World War I, founded the Gran Canaria Electric and Irrigation Company (CICER), sold luxury cars and oranges, patented inventions, married twice, and lived in 30 regions worldwide. His life reads like a biopic of perseverance—not wartime intrigue. Born in Germany’s Black Forest, Winter displayed determination early on. In a school essay titled “My Homeland,” he wrote, “My homeland is wherever I feel at home.” That place, it turned out, was Jandía.
Love at First Sight: Jandía
Winter first glimpsed Jandía’s rugged coastline from a sailboat in 1927. A decade later, he leased the peninsula and purchased part of the Count of Gerena’s estate, including Jandía. Despite personal tragedies—losing a daughter and both parents—his dream of building there endured. In 1946, construction began on Casa Winter, dispelling myths of Nazi ties. Correspondence reveals the contractor arrived post-WWII, with foundations laid by 1947. Winter followed progress from Madrid, but his vision for Cofete never included submarines—only a quiet life by the sea.
The House That Never Became a Home
Casa Winter’s isolation proved too much for Winter’s second wife, Isabel Althaus. After a grueling journey to Cofete—hours on a rough road followed by a two-hour hike—she declared she wouldn’t raise a family there. The family instead settled in Morro Jable, leaving the Cofete house as a solitary monument to Winter’s unrealized dream.
Debunking the Submarine Myth
British suspicions arose in 1938 when Winter leased Jandía for a fishing project. Yet wartime inspections found no Nazi activity. Historians confirm no U-boat bases existed in Fuerteventura—only six documented refuelings in Las Palmas. German submarines operated near major ports, not remote coasts. The truth? Winter was simply a man enchanted by Jandía’s wild beauty.
Who Was Gustav Winter?
Not a general, spy, or Nazi—just a visionary with relentless drive. His son’s 441-page book, “Casa Winter Cofete: un alemán, un lugar, una casa…,” dismantles decades of misinformation using archives, diaries, and eyewitness accounts. Winter’s legacy isn’t wartime intrigue but a testament to reinvention—a life worthy of celebration, not conspiracy.
