On the left of the road, a few kilometres before reaching Namibia's top coastal resort, visitors are greeted by a
curious sight - the Martin Luther "steam-ox" imported from Germany in 1896 to transport goods between the town and the interior. The project was doomed to failure, as the
steam tractor constantly became bogged down in the sand and required far too much water to operate. It was dubbed Martin Luther, because of Luther's historic statement in 1521,
"Here I stand, may God help me, I can go no further".
Swakopmund is much loved by Namibians as a welcome respite from the heat of the interior. It is also popular
amongst visitors because of its old-world charm and relaxed atmosphere. Founded in 1892 during the period of German colonial rule, it served as the territory's main harbour for many
years. Today this quaint desert town, hedged by desert and sea, is enhanced by lush green lawns, palm trees and carefully tended public gardens. It has a wide choice of hotels,
pensions and restaurants, and several coffee shops selling traditional German cakes and pastries. The coast with its desert hinterland offers many options, both for adventure and for
relaxation.
Quaint architecture from a bygone era adds to the time-out-of-place atmosphere of Swakopmund. When approached from the interior, domes, turrets and towers on the
skyline appear as a hazy desert mirage. Much of the distinct German colonial character has been preserved and today many of the town's old buildings house shops, offices and other
utility services.
What to see and do
Woermann House, built in 1905 to accommodate the Damara and Namaqua Trading Company and sold in 1909 to Woermann & Brock,
houses the Swakopmund Arts Association and the Public Library. The Woermann Tower, which can be viewed at specified times, affords a panoramic view of desert and sea. It has a
platform from which, in earlier times, a flag was flown whenever a ship of the Woermann Line was sighted.
The old barracks, known as Die Alte Kaserne (1905), was built by the
German colonial government to house the German Engineer Regiment responsible for the construction of the jetty and the railway line to the interior. It is now a youth hostel based on
the concept of the International Youth Hostel Federation. The privately owned Hohenzollern-Haus (1905), embellished by a frieze of angels and lions and originally built to accommodate
visiting aristocracy from Germany, at one time functioned as a house of ill repute. Today this striking building serves as an apartment house, while the Prinzessin Ruprecht Heim,
built in 1902 to operate as a hospital, is now a pension.
The Kaiserliches Bezirksgericht (magistrate's court), the building that has served as a summer residence for the
President of Namibia since independence, was built in 1901. Next to it are the gardens of the Marine Memorial, commemorating marines who died in the 1904/5 Herero uprising. In recent
years the elaborate Railway Station Building (1901) was transformed into a luxury 75-room hotel and entertainment centre, complete with casino, cinema, bar and restaurant. Resembling
a Bavarian villa with its ornamental exterior, the Swakopmund Jail is often mistaken by visitors for a hotel.
One of the town's most prominent landmarks, the Swakopmund
Lighthouse, was completed in 1903, together with the harbour breakwater known as The Mole. Another is the Old Iron Jetty, originally built in 1911 during the German colonial era, and
once again in serious need of repair, for which the Save-the-Jetty Fund was established in 1997. The last major reparations were done in 1983 when 17 pairs of the iron pillars were
encased in concrete. The jetty is frequented especially by anglers and tourists, and contributes much to Swakopmund's unique character.
Museum & libraries
Founded
by Dr Alfons Weber in 1951, the Swakopmund Museum is a small but comprehensive institution with displays ranging from natural history, mineralogy and botany to historical and
ethnological dioramas. The Emil Jensen Herbarium exhibits Namib flora, while the Bachran Collection comprises archaeological and entomological collections. The process of mining
uranium is depicted in the Rössing Room.
The Public Library has facilities for visitors, while a reference facility is known as the Sam Cohen Library comprises some 6 000 volumes
and an impressive collection of historic photographs. This includes the renowned 2 OOO-title Africana collection of the late Ferdinand Stich. The archives, housed in the same
building, give visitors access to a unique collection of newspapers dating from 1898 to the pre- sent day.
Small but modern aquarium
On the beach front next to the
National Marine Information & Research Centre in Strand Street is the Swakopmund Aquarium, an extensive and popular facility. Its main feature is a large oval-shaped transparent
tank, 12 m by 8 m, with a glass walk-through tunnel and a number of additional viewing panels, placed at different angles. The tank contains a variety of fish, including shark,
kabeljou, steenbras and galjoen, and many other organisms. The theme depicted in the tank is a typical west-coast reef with related flora.
In addition there are 17 smaller viewing
tanks, one of which is in the form of a tube. Special features are the so-called touch pools containing typical intertidal flora and fauna. Visitors are encouraged to pick up and
handle the contents. The complex also houses an auditorium, with seating for approximately 120 people, used for conferences, lectures and presentations and fully equipped with audio-
visual, interpretation and other amenities.
Sport and adventure
Swakopmund has a heated indoor Olympic-size swimming pool, hot sea baths and saunas. Close by is a
paddling pool, as well as one of the longest hydroslides in Southern Africa. A mini-golf course is located in the beachfront area. The Mole and adjacent Palm Beach provide a popular
if somewhat cold swimming area, with the lee of the mole serving as a launching spot for yachts and pleasure craft. The contestants in the annual triathlon, which takes place in
December, end their swim at The Mole.
Rossmund is a grass golf course with a unique desert setting located some 10 km inland from Swakopmund. It was established by the mining
company, Rössing Uranium Limited, several years ago and is currently owned and managed by a private company. The well laid-out I8-hole golf course has been described as one of the
most scenic and unusual in Southern Africa.
The annual horse show, known as the Reitturnier, brings the best horses and riders in Namibia together. Other sports are skydiving,
dune boarding, sand skiing, paragliding, surfing and windsurfing, yachting and angling from the beach or a boat. There are motor-cross and 4x4 rally facilities on the outskirts of the
town.
Where to shop
Accessible from Sam Nujoma Avenue and Roon and Moltke streets is the Brauhaus Arcade with its many small specialist shops offering hand-made leather
work, art and crafts, furnishing (carpets and wall-hangings) and Namibian produce (textiles, embroidery and crafts). The Brauhaus itself is a popular bistro-type bar with seating
outside. Also housed in the arcade is Swakopmund's small cinema, the Atlanta Theatre, which screens main stream as well as art films on a rotational basis.
The Woermann &
Brock Arcade, accessible from Sam Nujoma Avenue and Roon Street, features regular shops as well as several outlets selling Namibian produce and terminates in the new Woermann &
Brock Supermarket. Next to it is the Ankerplatz complex, also accessible from Sam Nujoma Avenue. Ankerplatz backs onto the historical Woermann House, which accommodates the Public
Library and Art Gallery. Painted in terracotta, ochre, purple, white and beige, with pebbled walkways winding between tall palm trees and potted succulents, with an old fishing boat
as focal point, Ankerplatz is an attractive and compact little centre for browsers and serious shoppers alike.
The Swakopmund Tannery is where Swakopmund's renowned kudu leather
shoes are manufactured. On Thursdays visitors can undertake an industrial tour to visit the Hansa Brauerei, where traditional beer is brewed. A guided tour of the Rössing Uranium Mine
offered on Fridays shows visitors the world's largest open-cast uranium mine.
Handcrafted jewellery
A special feature of the coastal town is its outstanding jewellery
shops, staffed by master goldsmiths and specialised craftsmen and -women, who design individual pieces with local gem and semiprecious stones in styles ranging from classic and
contemporary to Namibian, African and European.
The focal point of the Kristall Galerie on the comer of Garnison and Bahnhof streets is a display of gigantic quartz crystal
clusters. The establishment also has a work- shop where finely crafted jewellery is manufactured. The pieces, as well as a selection of cut stones, are displayed and sold in the La
Tourmaline Jewellery Boutique.
Art galleries & craft outlets
The Swakopmund Arts Association is situated on the first floor of the historic Woermann House. A
permanent display of traditional Namibian art, as well as an interesting collection of modem European graphic art, can be viewed here.
There are several commercial galleries in
Swakopmund where contemporary Namibian art and crafts can be viewed and purchased. These include the Hobby Horse Gallery in the Brauhaus Arcade, Die Muschel, which also sells books
and prints, and Engelhard Galerie in Sam Nujoma Avenue, which presents regular exhibitions of Namibian and artists from abroad.
Karakolia in the Brauhaus Arcade conducts tours to
show tourists how karakul wool is spun and woven for wall hangings and rugs. The Otavi Bahnhof Art and Crafts Centre in Sam Nujoma Avenue, restored from a railway station built in
1906, now belongs to the Swakopmund Society for Scientific Development, and houses various craft shops.
Namibian and African crafts are sold at two street markets. The first of
these is situated opposite the old prison building on Moses Garoeb Street, and the second just below Cafe Anton. |
