Kolmanskop, Ghost Town. NAMIBIA

Kolmanskop is a ghost town near the Namib desert and the port town of Luderitz. After diamonds were found in the area, lots of German miners settled here. Driven by the enormous wealth of the first diamond miners, the residents built the village in the architectural style of a German town, with amenities and institutions including a ballroom hall, a hospital (Photo 5), a school, a theater, a casino and even a bowling hall (Photo 6). It also had a railway link to the coast.

However the town declined fast after the diamond-field got slowly exhausted and new deposits were found further south. The town was definitely abandoned in 1954 and the geological forces of the desert took control of the place. The houses are now knee-deep in sand; the desert has reclaimed this once-thriving town.

Photos from summer 2011.