Oranjemund
A journey through history and modern times of the mining town Oranjemund in South Namibia
Konny von Schmettau
ISBN 9789991688619
Publisher: Hippos Verlag, Swakopmund, Namibia 2014
Broschur, 15 x 21 cm, 96 pages, numerous photos
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!
