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 (second photo by MC Soler).
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