Namibia, ghost-towns and diamonds
51 images Created 29 Sep 2010
Namibia, sand, ghost-towns and diamonds.
Diamond are one of Namibia's major natural resources and contribute approximately 10% of GDP. The diamond industry of today is different to that of 20 years ago, and in the last years the diamond industry and Namibian Government have partnered to create local cutting and polishing industries. The history of Namibian diamonds began in 1908, when the black worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond while working to the railroad not far from the port town of Lüderitz. In few days lots of German miners settled in this area and soon after the German government declared a large area as a "Sperrgebiet", starting to exploit the diamond field. Driven by the enormous wealth the residents of the minino town Kolmanskop like a German town, including a hospital with the first x-ray-station of the southern hemisphere. The town declined after World War I, when the diamond-field slowly exhausted, and from 1954 is a fascinatine ghost-town where the desert sand is slowly overruning the houses. Not far is Lüderitz, a harbour town founded in 1883 on one of the least hospitable coasts of Africa, in Southwestern Namibia. Lüderitz began as German trading post until 1909, when the discovery of diamonds nearby, enjoyed a sudden surge of prosperity. Today diamonds are mostly found far from Lüderitz that has lost a lot economical importance. The town is known for its German colonial architecture, including Art Nouveau buildings.
Diamond are one of Namibia's major natural resources and contribute approximately 10% of GDP. The diamond industry of today is different to that of 20 years ago, and in the last years the diamond industry and Namibian Government have partnered to create local cutting and polishing industries. The history of Namibian diamonds began in 1908, when the black worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond while working to the railroad not far from the port town of Lüderitz. In few days lots of German miners settled in this area and soon after the German government declared a large area as a "Sperrgebiet", starting to exploit the diamond field. Driven by the enormous wealth the residents of the minino town Kolmanskop like a German town, including a hospital with the first x-ray-station of the southern hemisphere. The town declined after World War I, when the diamond-field slowly exhausted, and from 1954 is a fascinatine ghost-town where the desert sand is slowly overruning the houses. Not far is Lüderitz, a harbour town founded in 1883 on one of the least hospitable coasts of Africa, in Southwestern Namibia. Lüderitz began as German trading post until 1909, when the discovery of diamonds nearby, enjoyed a sudden surge of prosperity. Today diamonds are mostly found far from Lüderitz that has lost a lot economical importance. The town is known for its German colonial architecture, including Art Nouveau buildings.
