Oranjemund: A journey through history and modern times

By Konny von Schmettau

In April 2014, the very first travel book about Oranjemund, the secret town in the Sperrgebiet, was published in a print edition. Since founding of a worker’s camp in 1928, visitors could only travel to Oranjemund with a special permit. In 2011, it was proclaimed as a Namibian town, and the 80 km gravel road through the Sperrgebiet will be tarred soon.
Visitors from all over the world will travel Oranjemund in the near future and use the travel book as a broad information, including a town map, a list of restaurants and places of interest.

„Oranjemund – A Journey through history and past“ is an unique travel book about the history of the diamond funds, the life of people in the old times as well as the development of Oranjemund into a modern and open town.

A broad part of the book shows rare artifacts of the historic diamond era in the Oranjemund Museum. Unique documents like shopping lists from Kolmanskuppe and the very first maps of the Sperrgebiet enlighten the live of the people in old times.
Namdeb provides an overview about the development into modern times, while the first elected Mayor of Oranjemund, Hon. Henry Coetzee, composed an official “Message from the Mayor” for the unique travel book. Additionally, exciting and funny stories about old and modern times make this book fascinating for readers from all over the world that’s why its no available as ebook for the first time.

Author Konny von Schmettau is a journalist and tour guide („Made in Germany“) who lives in Swakopmund. She publishes travel books under the title „Auf Pad mit Konny“ (On the road with Konny) as well as historical books, like „120 Years Swakopmund -The Official Yearbook“ (together with Peter Brüggemann).
Her aim is, not only to educate, but also to entertain her readers. Amongst historical backgrounds, factual information and tips for travelers, lots of fascinating and amusing stories make her books unique.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Mar 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9789991688688

Book preview

Oranjemund

A journey through history & modern times

by Konny von Schmettau

Ebook 1st Edition, 2016

P.O. Box 8070, Swakopmund

NAMIBIA

Tel.: +264 - 81 - 485 9550

Email: [e-mail]

www.namibia-aktiv.com

www.safaris-in-namibia.de

Layout/Design/ Text: Konny von Schmettau

Photos: Konny von Schmettau,

Oranjemund Museum, Namdeb, private collections

Cover Design: Konny von Schmettau

Sperrgebiet map / town maps: Namdeb

Translation: Ursula Nieuwoudt

ISBN: 978-99916-886-8-8

(Namibian ISBN Register)

All rights reserved by © Hippos Verlag.

Inhalt

Introduction

Historical Overview

1. Communication & Society

2. Archaeology & Palaeontology

3. Flora & Fauna of the Sperrgebiet

3. Geology & Geomorphology

4. Mining & History

5. Medicine & Health Care

6. Transport, Tools, Working Equipment

8. Kitchen & Household

9. Documentation

10. Historic Documents & Highlights

Oranjemund - A Diamond Town

Town Authority in the Sperrgebiet

The Ghost of Hohenfels

Swartkop Nature Reserve

Lüderitzbucht: Where it all started

Kolmannskuppe / Kolmanskop:

A leisurely journey to Oranjemund

Dear Oranjemunders!

Introduction

The history of Oranjemund is based on one of the world’s richest diamond areas, where the Oranje River flows into the Atlantic Ocean.

In ancient times, huge herds of wild animals roamed the area. Due to the mining activities within the years, lots of prehistoric fossils have been discovered and documented.

Diamond fields around Kolmanskuppe, Pomona, Bogenfels and others burgeoned and sunk at the beginning of the 20th Century. Men dreaming of getting rich and powerful due to the stones, which were often compared to the stars in the skies, gave their best years to dig for them in the hot desert, in sandstorms and icy cold nights.

People lied, killed and stole for their dreams, but only a few of them could keep their riches, before the ever-present sand covered again what had been built in years. They just left ghost towns behind.

Only Oranjemund stayed and grew from a diamond worker’s camp to a town, in the middle of the Sperrgebiet – the forbidden territory.

A town, like no other in the whole of Namibia, documents the history of diamonds, prehistoric and current times, and the people living on diamonds, in the Oranjemund Sperrgebiet Museum which was built as the first mine manager’s house.

Digging and household equipment from the beginning of the diamond fever, photographs and hand-drawn maps, machinery, and one of the first fieldbooks of Mr Georg Klinghardt, who worked for the Deutsche Diamanten-Gesellschaft in German South-West Africa, dated 1910, can be found amongst the treasures in the museum at the town center.

Certainly, the book also discovers lots of stories around diamonds.

Come and enjoy a different look at history and modern times!

1908   A railway worker, Zacharia Lewala, stumbles on a shiny treasure

  near Lüderitz. The sparkling discovery leads to a major diamond

  rush, initiated by August Stauch.

1908  Diamond mining regulations are introduced and the Sperrgebiet

  (or forbidden territory) is declared.

1920  Sir Ernest Oppenheimer forms Consolidated Diamond Mines of

  South West Africa (CDM).

1923   CDM concludes the Halbscheid Agreement with the South West

  African Administration, granting CDM the mining rights for the

  Sperrgebiet.

1930  Diamond mining operations cease at Kolmanskop.

1936  Oranjemund town is established, which adopted its name from

  its geographical position at the mouth of the Orange River, the

  national boundary between the Republic of Namibia and South

  Africa.

1943  CDM Head Office moves from Kolmanskop to Oranjemund.

1951  Oppenheimer Bridge linking Namibia with South Africa is

  opened. Another higher, wider bridge is built two years later to

  withstand floods better.

1961   First offshore mining concession granted.

1977   CDM