Kolmanskop

Kolmanskop is a ghost town (abandoned settlement) in Namibia. The place is located about ten kilometers east of the port city Lüderitz and is named after the Nama Johnny Coleman, who stuck there in 1905 with his ox cart in a dune. He was saved but had to leave his ox cart in the desert.

The town owes its existence to the diamond boom of Namibia at the beginning of the 20th century. Although today it is the most famous, but by no means the only ghost town in Namibia, which can still be visited today.

What really made the city interesting, however, was a chance diamond find in 1908. This was discovered in the planned construction of a railway line between Lüderitz and Keetmanshoop, which was to lead through Kolmannskop. The incredible thing happened: Zacharias Lewala, one of the track workers, discovered a diamond. His supervisor August Stauch took possession of this, recognized the value and secured directly with two other persons the mining rights in Kolmannskop. Of course, an unchecked mining for gems was not enough and Kolmannskop experienced a boom that brought the city to life. From then on, money was no longer important, luxury was capitalized.