PotD: Kolmanskop, A Ghost Town Buried In Sand

[trancer21]

It's 'National Post Once a Day Month'! Which gives me the opportunity to post pretty pics (not taken by me)! I've had this bookmarked for almost two years and am finally getting around to posting it. Hell, I can't even remember how I found the site other than a general interest in photography and love for looking at pretty pictures.


Picture by Richard Ehrlich


Courtesy Fogonazos: "Kolmanskop is a ghost town in southern Namibia, a few kilometers inland from the port of Lüderitz. In 1908, Luederitz was plunged into diamond fever and people rushed into the Namib desert hoping to make an easy fortune. Within two years, a town, complete with a casino, school, hospital and exclusive residential buildings, was established in the barren sandy desert. But shortly after the drop in diamond sales after the First World War, the beginning of the end started. During the 1950's the town was deserted and the dunes began to reclaim what was always theirs. Soon the metal screens collapsed and the pretty gardens and tidy streets were buried under the sand. Doors and windows creaked on their hinges, cracked window panes stared sightlessly across the desert. A new ghost town had been born."

For the full series of pics, visit photographer Richard Ehrlich, under 'Sand Houses'. There's also an eerie yet fascinating video on the Fogonazos site.

Comments

[blackgrl71.livejournal.com]

i've actually read/saw some stuff on this German-town. eerie isn't it? but really cool. makes you wonder what the hell else went on or hidden lil' gems are throughout Africa?!

[trancer21.livejournal.com]

Ha, I bet there are a *ton* of places like Kolmanskop. I only wish I had the money to visit them all.. or, you know, ONE!

[mantaraggio.livejournal.com]

Love ghost towns! I am always perpetually amazed/amused/enraptured by the crumbling barns throughout the middle of the country, and often require many stops to take a million photos. I love aging wood barns with the roofs caved in or rusting silos... oh, happy day, if I could just drive around photographing those, how happy I would be.

[trancer21.livejournal.com]

Oh man, I love ghost towns and/or abandoned buildings. As a sometimes amateur photographer, there's nothing more thrilling than coming across some abandoned site.. that's actually accessible!

[sravenk.livejournal.com]

I love Ghost Towns, too. I just get a little thrill of self-destruction watching nature take back its claim.

[trancer21.livejournal.com]

Heh, it's really fascinating. Here, with the practically 24/7 wet conditions, an abandoned building just gets eaten alive. And then you have someplace like Kolmanskop and the arid conditions and the buildings are there forever!