Lüderitz: A colonial relic hidden away on the fringe of the desert

Most tourists come to Namibia in search of wide open spaces, craving total isolation in the vastness of the desolate desert. While the Namib without doubt provides the seclusion foreign visitors are generally looking for, the local coastline offers equally deserted landscapes virtually untouched by human civilisation. And few stretches along the ocean are as wild and inhospitable as the untamed coastline in the area around the town of Lüderitz.
When approaching on the main tarred road, the isolated town appears like a mirage rising from its barren surroundings, its houses huddled together and clinging to the barren rocks overlooking the windswept bay beneath, lending a unique charm to the town. On entering the city the visitor feels transported back in time to the colonial era which left its distinctive mark on the Art Nouveau style architecture of the settlement. Many of the striking houses feature gables, winding stairwells, verandas and turrets which give the town a surreal character, evident in the old station building (1914), the old post office (1908), the Deutsche Afrika Bank (1907), Troost House (1909), Kreplin House (1909), Woermann House (1906) and the Turnhalle (1913). Among the many well preserved buildings bearing testimony to the German occupation of Namibia the most famous is the Evangelical Lutheran Church named Felsenkirche, perched on a rocky hill called Diamantberg. Owing to its elevated position, the church towering over the town beneath is the vocal point of Lüderitz and presents a popular photo opportunity for tourists.
Construction of the prominent landmark began in November 1911, with the finished church building, including its stained glass altar window donated by Kaiser Wilhelm II, being consecrated in August 1912. The church is open to the public every evening for half an hour.
Situated in relative proximity to the Felsenkirche is the Goerke House which offers an excellent view of the church close by. Erected in 1909 the house was occupied by Hans Goerke until he returned to Germany in 1912. Eight years later Consolidated Diamond Mines (CDM) acquired the building but sold it to the South West African Administration in 1944, which used it as residence for the local town magistrate till 1983. In that year CDM (now NAMDEB) bought the building again and restored it to its former glory, including the original decorations and furniture. Visitors may view the interior of the building to obtain a rare glimpse of life during colonial times.
Except for its imperial-style buildings, Lüderitz and its surroundings have much to offer and reward the visitor who lingers longer. The most well known among the many places of interest is the famous ghost town of Kolmanskuppe, located about 10 kilometres inland from the harbour town. The long deserted settlement, slowly being reclaimed by the desert, bears testimony to the diamond rush to which it owes its existence. Founded in 1908 after the discovery of these precious stones in the area, the small mining town was a bustling village in its heyday and offered many amenities to its inhabitants, including a hospital, theatre, power station, casino, school, ballroom, butchery, bakery, gymnasium, skittle-alley and an ice factory.
Linked to Lüderitz by a railway and relying solely on the enormous wealth generated through the sale of diamonds, Kolmanskuppe declined dramatically after the First World War, when prices for the sought after stones crashed and operations were moved to Oranjemund, where richer diamond deposits were discovered just north of the Orange River mouth in 1928. It was the beginning of the end of the diamond fever which gripped Kolmanskuppe after a railway worker found a diamond at a nearby siding called Grasplatz in 1908 and his discovery attracted thousands of prospectors hoping to make an easy fortune. Their dream of endless riches literally turned to dust and today all that remains of the diamond boom are photographic records depicting lines of men crawling through the desert on their hands and knees under the moon light, collecting the precious stones glimmering fully exposed on top of the surface.
As more and more of the inhabitants started leaving, the settlement was eventually abandoned in 1956 and left to the forces of nature, resulting in many of the structures being buried under the sand seeping through broken windows, crumbling doors or caved in roofs and turning the erstwhile grandiose dwellings into dilapidated ruins.
Today the lavish lifestyle of the fortune seekers who used to live here is a distant memory. Although some of the decaying houses have since been restored, the struggle between nature and the remaining human legacy continues and is the main drawing card of the picturesque tourist destination, with visitors being able to explore the ghost town on guided tours and walk through the houses covered knee deep in the intruding sand. That feature makes the deserted village a sought after destination for photographers, who appreciate the eerie atmosphere created by the interplay of light and shade on the dunes slowly rising to repossess the structures of the formerly thriving settlement. As such the shifting sands slowly swallowing the settlement and with it the last signs of any human presence in the desert, are also a symbol of how fleeting and transitory human existence can be.
Kolmanskuppe is situated in the so called "forbidden zone" or "Sperrgebiet" which the German government declared in 1908 and which stretches from the Orange River in the south about 360 km north and 100 km inland from the coast. This area, established to give government complete control over the land thought to contain diamonds still exists today and is only partially accessible to visitors who need a permit to venture there.
Except for Kolmanskuppe there are various other ghost towns situated in this region. The most well known of these is the one located south of Lüderitz in Elizabeth Bay close to an open cast diamond mine. The little town constructed to house mineworkers who lived there between 1926 and 1935 suffered the same fate as Kolmanskuppe, succumbing to the battering of the wind and the sand piling up against the outer walls or encroaching into the interior of the fragile structures still left.
Visitors need to apply one week in advance for a permit, subject to police clearance and can only explore the forsaken town as part of guided tours from authorized operators.
This also applies for trips to the famous rock formation called Bogenfels (elbow arch) leading through the so called mining area 1 past hills and valleys with colourful names like Idatal, Grillental, Märchental (fairy-tale valley) and Hexenkessel (witches' kettle). The road to Bogenfels passes several mining sites and abandoned ghost towns near Pomona, which were also left to the mercy of the elements. In some places the lunar landscape of the area is characterized by hundreds of sand heaps dotting the plains in straight lines like pearls on a necklace. Close by some of the decaying screen drums are still visible that were used to sieve the top layers of earth in search of diamonds, creating the conspicuous sand heaps in the process.
Similar to the old mining towns which struggle to withstand against the encroaching sand, the spectacular but seemingly fragile Bogenfels is also battling against the forces of nature, having to weather the wind and waves. The rock arch stands over 55 meters high, with one of its foundations resting in the sea and the other one on land. Though it is virtually inaccessible, the rock structure has none the attracted countless visitors and been photographed so many times, that it has become one of the major landmarks of the country.
As with several other parts of Namibia it is not just the various places of interest in and around Lüderitz that draw visitors. Rather it is the unique landscape around the town that invites travellers to explore, even if they don't pursue a clear destination. Often times it is the mere excitement and pleasure of discovering the surroundings, of following the curiosity about what is around the next corner that motivates them.
For such people taking pleasure in the experience of exploring, a 65km route around the peninsula from Lüderitz to the enclave called Große Bucht and back offers a very scenic drive through the barren landscape and past several hidden bays, lagoons, reefs and pocket beaches that deserve a closer look. Among these places warranting a more detailed inspection are the aptly named Knochenbucht (bone bay), Agate Beach and Second Lagoon. At Sturmvogelbucht the remains of a Norwegian whaling station can be seen, including old rusty ovens that were used to process whale blubber and generate oil in the process.
From Große Bucht the road winds further past rocky outcrops, mud flats and numerous coves, locally referred to as fjords. Along the route several picnic spots at places like Essy Bay, Griffith Bay, Halifax and Kartoffelbucht invite the traveller to rest on his way to Diaz point. Here a wooden bridge leads over a gully to steps that climb up to the top of a rocky outcrop overlooking the enclave initially referred to as Angra Pequena (little Bay) by the Portuguese. There a replica of a padrão or stone cross can be seen which was erected by Bartolomeu Dias on his homeward voyage to Portugal after he had become the first navigator to round the tip of Africa in search of a sea route for trade with India in 1488.
Just off Diaz point the small island of Halifax supports a colony of jackass penguins which also congregate on the islands of Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession and are among several animals that can be seen along the coast in the area including seals, cormorants, flamingos, gannets, springbok and jackals or even the occasional brown hyena.
When Heinrich Vogelsang contrived to purchase Angra Pequena and a large stretch of surrounding land on behalf of German merchant Adolf Lüderitz from the local Nama chief Joseph Fredericks in 1883, Lüderitz became a trading post mostly relying on the sale of fish and guano to sustain itself. Within months of the fraudulent transaction (Vogelsang deceived Fredericks about the actual size of land that would change hands) the German empire took over the protection of the Lüderitz estates, thereby laying the foundations for the colony of German South West Africa. Angra Pequena thus became the entry point from which imperial Germany proceeded to colonize the country, a process that was completed when a resident commissioner was dispatched from Germany in April 1885.
That history comes alive in the Eberlanz Museum, illustrating how the town was founded and informing about the diamond and fishing industry, as well as indigenous peoples, succulent plants and marine life of the area.
A further stark reminder of the colonial genesis of the town is a memorial on Shark Island, which now houses the Lüderitz campsite. Between 1905 and 1907 the island was used as a camp for prisoners of war captured by the German military fighting an uprising of the indigenous Nama and Herero people. Conditions in the concentration camp were horrific and many of the interned captives died of exposure, illness, malnutrition or exhaustion during forced labour.
While that distressing part of the harbour town's history is sadly underrepresented and little effort is made to remind visitors of the atrocities committed on Shark Island, the city does try to increase its appeal on tourists. Among these endeavours is the development of a water front, including shops and offices. Furthermore a new quay was added in an attempt to allow larger ships fishing boats to dock at the town, whose harbour has a very shallow rock bottom making it unsuitable for bigger vessels.
Irrespective of what direction the quirky little town will take, one thing will remain constant: The crisp, clean air, the spectacular sunsets, the windswept coastline, the diverse blend of cultures, the laid-back atmosphere, the nostalgic buildings perched on rocky hilltops, the picturesque fishing boats bobbing on the lagoon. As such the sleepy town is sure to continue exuding an allure that will captivate visitors, fascinated by this other-worldly settlement nestled between the desert and the ocean, for a long time to come.