Kolmanskop is one of the most striking, unusual places I’ve visited on my travels. Beautiful, desolate and haunting, I have never seen anything else quite like it. In 1908, a German railway labourer uncovered some interesting stones while shovelling sand. Thus began the history of diamond mining in Namibia. To begin with, diamonds were so plentiful you could simply walk through the desert and scoop them up with your bare hands. On a clear night with a full moon, you could see them glinting in the sand. Or so the story goes. Kolmanskop was the town that sprung from nowhere to mine this treasure. Fuelled by the explosion of diamond wealth, it rapidly sprouted luxuries unimaginable for Namibia at the time. There was a ballroom, bowling alley, swimming pool, ice factory, hospital, sports hall, it even
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