"Germany in Africa" a Swakopmund Travel Page by Ramonq

This is a surreal town. Wedged between the South Atlantic coast of Africa and the Namib Desert lies this town which looks more like a well maintained German village than a dusty African town. It is amazing how the Teutonic culture ended up here, in one of the remotest places in Africa. As I walked around the village of Swakopmund, I saw architecture that would be more at home in Bavaria or Westphalia, whose classic examples are the Hohenzollern House and the Swakopmund Hotel, with facades that have common features to late 19th century German style. Quaintly enough, some of the signs on the streets are even in German, and once you step in side some of the shops, they have German-speaking shopkeepers! Swakopmund is proud of its colonial heritage, and the town has carefully maintained the ambience and lifestyle of their forefathers. Clearly, this place is mostly frequented by German tourists and investors and a lot of money has been poured into Swakopmund to maintain an almost First World Teutonic appearance. Acutally Swakopmund feels like being in a Western cowboy movie set with a Germanic twist. Swakopmund is clean, organised and very safe to wander around. The roads are spacious, landscaped and well paved with proper footpaths. As I wandered around, I kept asking myself, "Am I in Germany?"

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Old German Prison

The nomadic Nama tribe were already roaming around this area for thousands of years yet leaving the place unexploited. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to set foot on this place but decided not to colonise it. The first European settlers in the area were the Germans when Namibia which was then called the German South West Africa, was colonised in the 19th century by the Germans as part of the Great European grab for Africa. The area was chosen because of the availability of fresh water from the Swakop River and the foundations of the town were set up in the 1890's to counteract with the British take-over of the port of Walvis Bay nearby. German South West Africa needed a new coastal port as trade flourished between the African territory and Germany.

Initially there were only 40 settlers during its first few years, but it flourished into a handsome little German port during the first two decades of the 20th century as it was the main connection between Germany and the colony. In its brief history under the Germans, Swakopmund boasted a grand train station (which is now the Swakopmund Hotel) and a fine hotel which is still in use and popular with German tourists (Hansa Hotel). Most of the fine buildings that you see now were constructed during its halcyon days and they have been put into good use.

Alas, Germany lost in the First World War and as a consequence the Treaty of Versailles placed German South-West Africa under South African rule. The nearby port of Walvis Bay became the main port and the port of Swakopmund soon became neglected and fall into disuse. For most of the remaining 20th century, Swakopmund was almost a ghost town with faded gradiose buildings remaining intact.

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Hohenzollern House

Yet despite this turn of event, Swakopmund has turned its misfortune into an advantage. It has retained its charming character and turned itself into a tourist destination. Swakopmund was able to tap into the affluent German market and enticed them to make a pilgrimage to a piece of their heritage. Many Germans have invested into the area and spruced the dusty town into a spotless efficient town. So successful is its transformation, that Swakopmund is expanding vastly along the magnificent coast with new California-style suburbs buttressed between the Kalahari desert sands and the fierce South Atlantic Ocean. With such an incredible milieu, Swakopmund has attracted a few rich and famous people to purchase land here, and who knows what the future will bring.

It's a rollercoaster ride for Swakopmund, yet you can still enjoy a traditional German meal and beer in a very salubrious setting. It's a pleasant place to visit.