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history of
Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history
of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund,
history of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history of
Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history
of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund, history of Swakopmund |
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Namibia, Swakopmund, Woermann, Curt von
Francois, Information, Accommodation, Hotels, Lodges, Nature/Game Reserves, Guesthouses, Tours |
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 History
and more information about Swakopmund
accommodation, activities...
Swakopmund was
named after the river Swakop that reaches the Atlantic Ocean at the
site of the town. The tribe of the Topnaar-Nama named this river „Tsoakhaub“
which roughly means faeces. The Swakop river is flowing towards the
coast only during good rains in the interior. This doesn’t happen every
year. During floods its water looks rather brownish.
The Swakop also
delivers sand to the beaches of the seaside resort. Due to the lack of
rain the sand would be washed away by the sea and the beaches would be
gone without the supplies during floods.
When the
Germans colonised Namibia they needed a harbour. Walvis Bay was
already British then and Luederitz too far away from the capital.
During an expedition in 1889 Curt von Francois chose a site to erect a
mole (1899-1903). As the water was too shallow ships had to anchor
about 1 km off the coast. The first ship to land in Swakopmund was the
„Marie Woermann“ in 1993. The "Woermann Linie" came into
existence in 1896. The famous "Woermann Haus" with its Damara tower can still be
seen in town.
In order to improve the landing in Swakopmund a wooden landing pier
was built in 1904. The wooden structure needed to be maintained
constantly. This building was demolished by the South Africans in
1919.
In 1912 the construction of an iron landing pier started. The jetty
was supposed to be 640m long but due to the outbreak of the first
world war only 262m were built. After South Africa took over in
Namibia the harbour of Swakopmund soon lost its importance.
The Jetty used to be a famous spot for sundowners. But it soon started
to rust. Many efforts have been undertaken to rescue the structure.
Today you can enjoy a little walk on a section of the Jetty.
During the
German colonisation Swakopmund was the main trading centre of the
country. In 1909 it became a prospering town. But due to the outbreak
of the first world war Swakopmund lost its importance and became a
small seaside village again. At about 1930 the South Africans decided
to develop the town into a seaside resort. From then on the Swakopmund
was prospering again. In the seventies the population of Swakopmund
grew rapidly after uranium was mined in the nearby desert.
back to Swakopmund |
Tourism offers
map 6
A. Pegasus Cars, Camper
map 6 all offers
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map 6:
1. Brandberg 2. Namib Naukluft Park... 3. Omaruru... 4. Skeleton Coast/a Cape Cross
5. Sossusvlei, Sesriem Canyon 6. Swakopmund (history of Swakopmund...) 7. Walvis Bay 8. Windhoek
B1/Okahandja/Mariental/a Hardap Dam B2/Karibib/Usakos/a Spitzkoppe B 6 |
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Southern Africa:
map 1 map 2 map 3 map 4 map 5 map 6 map 7 map 8 map 9 map 10 map 11 |
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