Driving in to Luderitz we caught our first glimpse of the famed town of Kolmanskoppe.
We had photography passes for the next day and would be able to spend as much time there as we liked during the hours of daylight.
So, having settled into comfortable rooms, we went looking for flamingos without much success but experienced much greater luck with our choice of restaurant, finding delicious steak and prawns – ‘surf ‘n’ turf ‘- at ‘The Portuguese Fisherman’ which also seemed a popular choice with the locals. Lovely relaxed atmosphere and great food. Once again we found the kitchen closed quite early!! But it didn’t matter. We were already thinking about our early start….
Although we knew about the buildings and some possible shots we didn’t really have much understanding of the circumstances in which the town had been build or those causing its desertion.
Light cascading through doors and windows that were no longer functional highlighted for me the fact that homes had been left unoccupied because there was more money elsewhere while the telephone cables coming out of the tower were an indication of just how far ahead of its time this town was: its’ inhabitants had every luxury as well as every necessity -the butcher’s was next to the ice factory, for example. Planned to help keep the meat fresh. The 44 children even had a heated outdoor swimming pool.
Having already been photographing for two hours most of us chose to do the guided tour – 45 minutes of humour, information and insight care of the very personable Clarishe who had, herself, been brought up in a closed mining town such as Kolmanskoppe had been in its heyday. The town where she was brought up had only been opened to public access in 2018!
Diamonds had been found in the Kolmanskoppe area in 1908. The discovery was made by a local railway worker but the find was identified for what it was by his German employer. The railway worker – Zecharias Lewala – was not rewarded.
By 1912 the town was producing a million carats a year. All acquired by men crawling on their bellies over the uneven ground of the desert. The German authorities declared a huge area of Namibia Sperrgebiet – a restricted zone which bears that title to this day. And by the 1930s all interest in the town had disappeared: the largest diamonds ever found had been discovered further south – homes and possessions were abandoned as their owners followed the diamonds. By 1956 Kolmanskoppe was totally deserted.
During the morning we allowed ourselves total freedom using whatever equipment we had brought. Later we would be stricter with ourselves limiting the equipment we used and ensuring we visited any places we’d missed earlier.
My challenge was to think about black and white images so my phone became a black and white camera for the later visit. That really made me think: but there’s so much more to learn about using the phone as a camera!!
I rather enjoyed playing with different shapes and effects. I really like this high-key image of the hospital corridor, slightly wonky as going to hospital is usually a bit unnerving and high-key bringing in lots of light that may not reflect the patient’s true feeling. The hospital was built for 220 patients : it looked like many formal buildings of its time!
It was quite spooky being in this deserted place in the early evening, especially as some of us heard voices as we approached one building- only to find one of the guards speaking on his phone….. Was this a taste of reality? Or our imagination?
Somehow we felt we knew the place now and it felt natural either to visit areas we had missed in the morning or to revisit with a different intent. Knowing where things were and having the place entirely to ourselves except for the guards made it easy to wander purposefully alone and enjoy the vistas as well as the details.
Living the Journey 
You’ve really captured the stark desolation of Kolmanskoppe Kath. The black and white images sent a chill up my spine when I read your account of the voices. Very powerful
Certainly an action packed holiday Kath, so much packed in and some superb photos throughout capturing the moment and the scene. The narrative is not bad either! Good to know you have had such a great holiday packed with memories.