PHOTO OF THE WEEK: Kolmanskop

 

Located at the Namib Desert in south Namibia, South Africa, Kolmanskop was formally a rich mining township occupied by German miners, after a Namibian  mine worker- Zacharias Lewala- discovered diamonds there on the 14th of April, 1908, starting an inevitable diamond rush.  

Known  as the 'forbidden zone',  Namibians were  forced out by the German colonists, except few who were employed as labourers at the diamond mines and living in poor conditions.  Kolmanskop yielded huge deposits of  diamonds and boasted of European styled houses, a school, casino, hospital, power station and other various amenities, with a railway linked to Luderitz.  

However, by 1928, the mining company discovered richer deposits outside of Kolmanskop and  excessive mining caused a serious diamond depletion in 1930, forcing families to leave the area. By 1956, the town was  completely abandoned and never occupied again. 

Today, tourists visit the ghost town but only after obtaining a permit.