Oranjemund

Title: Oranjemund
Subtitle: A journey through history & modern times
Author: Konny von Schmettau
Publisher: Hippos Verlag, Swakopmund, Namibia
Swakopmund, Namibia 2014
ISBN 9789991688619 / ISBN 978-99916-886-1-9
Broschur, 15 x 21 cm, 96 pages, numerous photos, Text: English

About: Oranjemund. A journey through history and modern times

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!

Content: Oranjemund. A journey through history and modern times

Message from the Mayor
Introduction
Historical Overview
Museum: Communication & Society
Namdeb
Museum: Archaeology & Palaeontology
Museum: Flora & Fauna of the Sperrgebiet
Museum: Geology & Geomorphology
Museum: Mining & History
Museum: Medicine & Health Care
Museum: Transport, Tools, Working Equipment
Museum: Kitchen & Household
Museum: Documentation
Museum: Historic Documents & Highlights
Oranjemund - A Diamond Town
Town Authority in the Sperrgebiet
The Ghost of Hohenfels
Swartkop Nature Reserve
Luderitzbucht: Where it all started
Kolmannskuppe / Kolmanskop: Diamonds in the rough
A leisurely journey to Oranjemund
Oranjemund Accommodations, Restaurants, Shopping
Maps
Dear Oranjemunders!