Visiting Kolmanskop - Visit Namibia with Atlas Obscura

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Prior to World War I, Namibia came down with diamond fever.  In the area now known as Kolmanskop, the precious stones were found in abundance throughout 1908, triggering an influx of new settlers hoping to capitalize on the riches.   

For the most part, they were successful; resident of Kolmanskop accumulated enough wealth to build an entire town influenced by German aesthetics, replete with ballrooms, bowling alleys, mansions, and the first x-ray machine south of the equator.

 

Nature's Revenge - Kolmanskop Namibia - Atlas Obscura Blog

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That said, history is a fickle mistress.  The outbreak of the war caused a chain reaction reaching all the way to Kolmanskop as the diamond market slowly dried up.  By less than 50 years after its inception, Kolmanskop had become a ghost town reclaimed by the desert.  Today visitors can explore the structurally sound, completely vacant buildings, leaving poor in minerals but rich in aesthetic momentos. 

 

Kolmanskop Namibia - Atlas Obscura - Blog Featured Photography

 

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Kolmanskop Namibia - View of Town from Outside - Atlas Obscura

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Kolmanskop - Namibia - Atlas Obscura Blog - Featured Place

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Kolmanskop Ghost Town - Atlas Obscura - Featured Photography

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Kolmanskop Ruins - Namibia Ghost Town - Atlas Obscura

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Travel Namibia - Kolmanskop Abandoned - Atlas Obscura

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Namibia Ruins - Atlas Obscura - Kolmanskop Portrait

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Diamond Mining Town - Colonial Africa - Atlas Obscura

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Restored Kolmamskop - African Diamond Mining Town - Atlas Obscura

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Blog Atlas Obscura - Abandoned Namibia - Kolmanskop

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Abandoned Kolmanskop - Featured Photography on Blog Atlas Obscura

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Sand Dunes in Kolmanskop - Ruined Houses - Atlas Obscura

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To learn more about Kolmanskop, Namibia, including trip planning details, visit its full listing on Atlas Obscura.