Diamond city turned into a haunted place (14 photos)

Quite by accident while clearing the railroad tracks worker Zacharias Levala discovered an interesting shiny stone. A business was in the area of ​​Lüderitz Bay in West Africa (in 1908 - German colonies).





Zach gave the find to August Stauch, the foreman of the brigade. That little bit understood mineralogy and lightly scratched the glass of his wristwatch with a pebble hours. The analysis confirmed that the stone is indeed a diamond. And brought probably blown from the mouth of the Orange River.



Stones from this area are usually not too big, but very clean. What Makes Products From South West Africa So Much In Demand on the market. The find did not bring any dividends to the worker. But the master Stauch and his partner quickly got their bearings and bought the rights to a small 75-meter plot. And we started developing.





And not far from the port city of Lüderitz, a city began to be born Kolmanskop. It was given this name in honor of the man who died here: John Colman got stuck here on an oxcart and died of thirst.

Work boiled over. Prospectors rushed here from all sides and adventure lovers. Diamonds are guaranteed wealth. Necessary just grab luck by the tail. In a couple of years, Kolmanskop turned into richest African city.



Yesterday's miners who became millionaires with European on a grand scale began to equip their monastery: luxurious mansions, school, hospital grew like mushrooms after the rain.



Shops, post office, smokehouse, brewery, mini-production of sausages and lemonade - which was not there. Seething in the diamond heart and cultural life: people came here to perform the best musicians and theater troupes.



In 1912, production figures exceeded 11% of the total world volume. In Kolmanskop they even launched the first tram in Africa: they could imagine allow.



Water was delivered 100 kilometers from a fresh source along railroad. Pure delight lasted for several more years and ended abruptly with the diamonds.



Many whites left, and for prey on much more disadvantageous conditions set local: 16-18 working hours a day, heavy conditions of detention, almost like in a concentration camp.



At the end of the shift, the workers were not only searched, but also forced to drink a laxative and shone through an x-ray machine, so that they do not carry stones beyond the perimeter.



The situation was aggravated by the fact that on the Orange River in less than 300 kilometers discovered a new deposit. People rushed there the city began to empty rapidly.



Consolidated Diamond Mines - the company that owned the workings, also turned around. In 1956, the last three families left the city. And he finally became a ghost.






In the late 80s, several buildings were restored here and organized a museum - as clear evidence that everything once ends. And wealth too. Kolmanskop is used as a filming location movies, shows and TV shows. But the desert slowly, meter by meter, absorbs what belongs to her, as if returning to her womb, once selected by the people.



The life of the city was short and bright, like a flash. Or shine precious stone. In less than 40 years, it has reached unprecedented prosperity and went out. Which, in fact, is predictable, because “diamond is a stone that radiates elegance of eternity. Each spellbound egoh glitter is waiting only destruction. However, even knowing this, it is impossible to resist.