NB01-22
Kolmanskop, Namibia
Kolmanskop (Afrikaans for Coleman's hill, German: Kolmannskuppe) is a ghost town in the Namib desert in southern Namibia, a few kilometres inland from the port town of Lüderitz. It was a small mining village and is now a popular tourist destination run by the joint firm NamDeb (Namibia-De Beers).
It developed after the discovery of diamonds in the area in 1908, to provide shelter for workers from the harsh environment of the Namib Desert. The name originates from a transport driver named Johnny Coleman who during a sand storm abandoned his ox wagon on a small incline opposite the settlement.
Driven by the enormous wealth of the first diamond miners the village was built like a German town, with facilities like a hospital, ballroom, power station, school, skittle-alley, theater and sport-hall, casino, ice factory and the first x-ray-station in the southern hemisphere as well as the first tram in Africa. It had a railway link to Lüderitz.
The town declined after World War I as diamond prices crashed, and operations moved to Oranjemund. It was abandoned in 1956 but has since been partly restored. The geological forces of the desert mean that tourists can now walk through houses knee-deep in sand. Kolmanskop is popular with photographers for its scenic settings of the desert sands reclaiming this once thriving town. Due to its location within the restricted area (Sperrgebiet) of the Namib desert, a permit is necessary to enter the town.
Irmi K. 1965 21. Mai 2011, 17:38
Here you wait long for the doctor.... :-(decay 22. Oktober 2009, 12:43
Klasse Aufnahme, siehtschon wirklich toll aus.
ich mag solche Aufnahme
wirklich sehr gerne!
Liebe Grüße!
Adriana Massl 22. Oktober 2009, 11:51
Bleak but beautiful ...Flighty Furrow 21. Oktober 2009, 18:32
Interesting, the house of a doctor as can still be read on that sign!Ulrich Fleischer 20. Oktober 2009, 18:36
top foto.vg Uli
Allan Thompson 19. Oktober 2009, 18:34
Superb contrasts in colors and tones!!!!!Alexandra Baltog 19. Oktober 2009, 16:26
+++++oh... what is written there ? ARZT ? Doctor ?
Michael Grotkamp 19. Oktober 2009, 11:23
wilhelminian quality since 1896...superbe builded format.