Kolmanskop is Namibia’s most famous ghost town. It lies in the southern part of the Namib desert about 10 kilometers inland from the port town of Lüderitz.

After diamonds were discovered here in 1908, it wasn’t long before a new settlement sprung up in the architectural style of a German town. With the wealth of the diamond industry the town had all the luxuries of a European town despite its isolated location. It had a hospital, ballroom, power station, school, skittle-alley, theatre and sport-hall, casino, ice factory and even the first tram in Africa!

However, it was not long before the diamonds dried up and discoveries elsewhere drew miners away. Kolmanskop was finally deserted in 1956. Ever since the desert has been slowly covering the town’s buildings in sand.

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