I
1908,
a
ailway
wo ke
clea i g
sa d
beside
a
t ack
i
what
is
ow
Namibia
oticed
somethi g
u usual:
sto es
that
caught
the
su light.
His
Ge ma
supe viso ,
August
Stauch,
ecog ised
the
discove y
as
diamo ds,
setti g
off
a
ush
that
would
t a sfo m
o e
of
southe
Af ica’s
ha shest
la dscapes.
Withi
mo ths,
p ospecto s
a d
mi i g
compa ies
we e
movi g
i to
the
emote
dese t,
while
the
colo ial
autho ities
imposed
tight
co t ols
ove
the
ewly
valuable
te ito y.
Kolma skop
soo
eme ged
as
the
ce t e
of
the
diamo d
boom,
g owi g
i to
a
imp obable
Eu opea -style
settleme t
complete
with
elect icity,
a
hospital,
bake y,
butche ,
post
office
a d
eve
a
ice-maki g
pla t.Acco di g
to
Natio al
Geog aphic,
fo
a
few
decades,
ext ao di a y
mi e al
wealth
sustai ed
a
su p isi gly
comfo table
tow
i
the
dese t.
The
iche
deposits
we e
discove ed
fa the
south.
The
eside ts
left,
the
mi es
decli ed
a d,
by
1956,
Kolma skop
was
empty.
Today,
sa d
is
steadily
swallowi g
its
aba do ed
buildi gs,
leavi g
behi d
a
st iki g
emi de
of
Namibia’s
diamo d
ush
a d
colo ial
past.
How
diamo ds
fou d
i
Namibia’s
dese t
spa ked
the
apid
g owth
of
Kolma skop
A
ailway
wo ke
amed
Zache ias
Lewala
was
clea i g
sa d
f om
the
t acks
whe
he
oticed
sto es
catchi g
the
light.
His
Ge ma
supe viso
ecog ised
what
they
we e.
Diamo ds
had
bee
fou d
i
o e
of
the
most
i hospitable
la dscapes
i
southe
Af ica.Lewala
eceived
o
ewa d
fo
the
discove y.
The
co seque ces
fo
the
a ea
we e
much
la ge .
News
t avelled,
p ospecto s
a ived
a d
the
p eviously
emote
st etch
of
dese t
became
the
ce t e
of
a
apidly
expa di g
diamo d
i dust y.
Kolma skop
g ew
a ou d
the
mi es.
Withi
o ly
a
few
yea s,
the
settleme t
had
acqui ed
the
appea a ce
of
a
small
Eu opea
tow
t a spla ted
i to
the
dese t.
At
its
height,
oughly
a
thousa d
people
lived
the e,
i cludi g
Ge ma
settle s
a d
local
wo ke s
employed
by
the
mi i g
i dust y.The
diamo ds
we e
u usually
easy
to
fi d
i
the
ea ly
yea s.
Sto es
could
sometimes
be
picked
f om
the
su face,
scatte ed
amo g
the
dese t
g avel.
That
made
fo tu es
possible
at
a
speed
that
would
have
bee
difficult
to
imagi e
elsewhe e.
The
tow
itself
eflected
that
sudde
wealth.
How
a
diamo d
tow
built
a
life
of
luxu y
i
the
dese t
PC:
Natio al
Geog aphic
Kolma skop
acqui ed
facilities
that
seem
almost
absu d
whe
set
agai st
its
su ou di gs.
The e
was
a
bake y,
a
butche ,
a
post
office
a d
a
ice-maki g
pla t.
Supplies,
i cludi g
wate ,
could
be
t a spo ted
by
ailway.
The
settleme t
had
elect icity
a d
othe
co ve ie ces
that
we e
a e
i
such
a
emote
pa t
of
the
egio .Its
eside ts
could
also
fi d
e te tai me t
fa
emoved
f om
the
mi i g
camp
that
had
i itially
b ought
them
the e.
Eu opea
pe fo me s
t avelled
to
Kolma skop,
i cludi g
ope a
g oups.
The
tow
developed
its
ow
social
life
a d
a
deg ee
of
comfo t
that
co t asted
sha ply
with
the
su ou di g
dese t.Some
sto ies
f om
its
mo e
ecce t ic
pe iod
have
su vived.
O e
household
kept
a
ost ich,
which
became
such
a
uisa ce
that
it
was
epo tedly
used
to
pull
a
sleigh
du i g
Ch istmas
celeb atio s.
Behi d
the
g a de
buildi gs
was
a
mi i g
settleme t
whose
existe ce
depe ded
o
a
highly
u equal
colo ial
eco omy.
The
hidde
cost
of
Kolma skop’s
diamo d
fo tu es
At
the
time,
Namibia
was
u de
Ge ma
colo ial
ule
as
Ge ma
South
West
Af ica.
The
diamo d
discove ies
gave
the
colo ial
autho ities
a othe
easo
to
tighte
thei
co t ol
ove
the
egio .A
la ge
a ea
was
desig ated
the
Spe gebiet,
mea i g
est icted
o
fo bidde
te ito y.
O di a y
people
could
ot
simply
e te
to
sea ch
fo
diamo ds,
a d
p ospecti g
ights
we e
co ce t ated
i
the
ha ds
of
a
compa y
based
i
Be li .
The
est ictio s
helped
tu
the
diamo d
fields
i to
a
closely
co t olled
sou ce
of
wealth.The
histo y
su ou di g
Kolma skop
also
sits
withi
the
much
da ke
histo y
of
Ge ma
colo ial
ule
i
Namibia.
The
He e o
people
had
ebelled
agai st
Ge ma
autho ities
o ly
a
few
yea s
befo e
the
diamo d
discove y.
Ge ma
fo ces
espo ded
with
a
campaig
of
mass
killi g
a d
pe secutio
i
which
te s
of
thousa ds
of
He e o
people
died.
F om
diamo d
iches
to
aba do me t:
Kolma skop’s
slow
decli e
Kolma skop’s
ext ao di a y
p ospe ity
was
eve
goi g
to
co ti ue
i defi itely.
As
mi i g
became
mo e
i te sive,
the
easily
accessible
deposits
a ou d
the
tow
bega
to
dimi ish.
The
the
i dust y
fou d
somethi g
bette .I
1928,
exceptio ally
ich
diamo d
deposits
we e
discove ed
much
fa the
south,
alo g
the
coast.
The
ew
fields
offe ed
mi i g
compa ies
a
st o g
easo
to
shift
thei
atte tio
away
f om
Kolma skop.
Reside ts
bega
leavi g,
taki g
what
they
could
a d
aba do i g
buildi gs
a d
belo gi gs
that
we e
o
lo ge
wo th
movi g.
The
tow
did
ot
collapse
i
a
si gle
mome t.
It
emptied
g adually.By
the
1930s,
the
o igi al
diamo d
fields
we e
la gely
exhausted.
By
1956,
Kolma skop
had
bee
aba do ed
completely.
That
left
the
buildi gs
exposed
to
the
dese t.
F om
mi i g
settleme t
to
tou ist
desti atio
Fo
decades,
Kolma skop
was
simply
a
aba do ed
place
i
a
est icted
diamo d-mi i g
egio .
Its
seco d
life
bega
i
the
ea ly
2000s,
whe
a
p ivate
compa y
eceived
a
co cessio
to
ope ate
the
settleme t
as
a
tou ist
att actio .Visito s
could
the
e te
the
fo me
est icted
a ea
u de
co t olled
co ditio s
a d
walk
th ough
the
emai s
of
the
tow .
The
photog aphs
bega
to
t avel
fa
beyo d
Namibia.
Rooms
filled
with
sa d
became
pa ticula ly
ecog isable,
tu i g
Kolma skop
i to
o e
of
the
cou t y’s
best-k ow
aba do ed
settleme ts.Tou ism
also
gave
the
ui s
a
eco omic
ole
that
had
othi g
to
do
with
diamo ds.
Visito s
t avelli g
to
Kolma skop
b ought
mo ey
i to
the
ea by
coastal
tow
of
Lüde itz,
while
the
site
itself
became
a
place
whe e
Namibia’s
mi i g
a d
colo ial
histo y
could
be
e cou te ed
i
physical
fo m.
PC:
BBC
How
lo g
ca
Kolma skop
su vive
the
sa ds
Kolma skop’s
appeal
depe ds
pa tly
o
its
dete io atio .
The
sa d-cove ed
i te io s
a e
what
make
the
site
so
visually
disti ctive,
yet
the
same
fo ces
that
c eate
those
sce es
a e
steadily
damagi g
the
buildi gs.Co se vatio
wo k
has
bee
ca ied
out,
a d
visito
umbe s
have
bee
co t olled
to
educe
u ecessa y
wea .
Ea lie
assessme ts
eve theless
eco ded
sig ifica t
dete io atio
i
seve al
st uctu es.
Wi d,
sa d
a d
the
dese t
climate
co ti ue
to
wo k
o
walls,
oofs,
doo s
a d
i te io s.The e
is
o
simple
poi t
at
which
the
p ocess
will
stop.
P ese vi g
Kolma skop
does
ot
mea
f eezi g
it
exactly
as
it
looked
whe
the
fi al
eside ts
depa ted.
The
dese t
is
pa t
of
the
sto y
ow,
a d
keepi g
the
settleme t
sta di g
mea s
decidi g
which
pa ts
should
be
p otected
a d
which
cha ges
should
be
allowed
to
co ti ue.
What
emai s
be eath
the
sa d
Kolma skop
is
ofte
see
simply
as
a
ghost
tow ,
but
its
ui s
tell
a
la ge
sto y.
Diamo ds
b ought
sudde
wealth
to
this
emote
co e
of
colo ial
Namibia,
built
o
a
tightly
co t olled
system
of
la d
a d
labou .
Whe
iche
deposits
we e
fou d
elsewhe e,
the
tow
was
aba do ed.
Now
the
dese t
is
slowly
taki g
it
back.Sa d
fills
fo me
homes,
plaste
falls
f om
walls
a d
pai t
fades
be eath
yea s
of
exposu e.
Kolma skop
emai s
a
st iki g
eco d
of
its
diamo d-mi i g
past,
but
it
is
ot
f oze
i
time.
The
buildi gs
co ti ue
to
dete io ate,
a d
eve tually
some
may
disappea
almost
completely
be eath
the
du es.
