Kolmanskop The Ghost Town

daink bhaskar | Jul 13, 2012, 09:27AM IST

आर्टिकल

A date with history
In 1908, a black worker Zacharias Lewala found a diamond while working in the Namib area and showed it to his supervisor, the German railroad inspector August Stauch. After realizing that this area is rich in diamonds, lots of German miners later settled here. The town declined after World War I when there were hardly any diamonds left. Ultimately this place was abandoned in 1954.

Photo favouriteKolmanskop is popular with photographers for its beautiful settings of the desert sands. But the settings are spooky and scary at times and can actually give you goose bumps. The 2000 film 'The King Is Alive' was filmed here. It was also used in the first episode of the BBC series Wonders of the Universe.

The Name
It was named ' Kolmanskop' after a transport driver named Johnny Kolman, who abandoned his Volkswagen during a sand storm opposite this place.

The gift of diamond
Driven by the enormous wealth of the first diamond miners, the residents built a hospital, ballroom, power station, school, theater, sport-hall, casino, ice factory and the first x-ray-station in the southern hemisphere, as well as the first tram here. It had a railway link too.

...And now
Usually all the homes here have been demolished by the wind and are covered with sand dunes. Although some of the buildings have been restored, and an interesting museum has been established. It's now a tourist attraction.