22 March Kolmanskop – Diamond ghost town

Kolmanskop is an abandoned diamond town that grew up 10kms inland from Luderitz along the railway track leading across the desert to the town of Aus.

Diamonds were discovered when the rail road engineer asked the workers to bring any interesting stones or pebbles they found as they were working. The local tribes weren't interested in shiny bits of glass – you couldn't eat them – and passed them to the engineer. He was a keen amateur geologist and recognised diamonds immediately. He flew off to file claims before revealing his find and became a multi millionaire overnight.

sand filled swimming pool

Manager's house seen from neighbours

The find was at the place Herr Kolman arrived with his mule train before the turn of the twentieth century. The mules died. He stayed and so did his name.

What is left today is a collection of buildings dating from 1904 to 1908 and a remarkable story of creating wealth and comfort in an inhospitable environment. The Europeans were mostly German and with German ingenuity they had sea water pumped from the coast to fill a swimming pool, water brought in ships from Cape Town and also transported inland, electricity for every house, shops, bakery, hospital, school, a casino and entertainments hall, a la carte restaurant and a ladies champagne bar. To distribute the daily free delivery of ice, water, soda water and lemonade to every house a train pulled by mules along a railway track was built. It also carried passengers between their homes and the shops.

sand reclaiming rooms

sausage boiling cauldrons in butchers

Ice house

mule train

Eventually the diamonds were all collected and the mining abandoned. Now it's just the ever present wind bringing sand to fill the houses and erode the buildings and a steady flow of visitors.

restored shopkeeper's house