Swakopmund - Swakopmund

Swakopmund is a city on the central coast of the Namibia located in the Erongo Region.

To know

Defined as an enchanted place or at least singular, Swakopmund is a city of Bavaria transplanted to a desert African. German architects of the early 1900s competed to recreate the atmosphere of a city of the motherland according to the dictates of the then prevailing Jugendstil. A visit to Swakopmund is justified only by its architecture.

For the rest it is difficult to include this places in the category of seaside resorts. The city is located on the Swakop estuary, a stream whose bed is inexorably dry. Its shores overlook a constantly choppy and cold ocean. Behind it stretches a desert whose only vegetation is represented by sparse and low bushes.

The landscape was quite different when the first European explorers arrived there in 1793 in the people of Sebastian van Reenen and Pieter Pienaar. According to their report, lush vegetation then covered the banks of the Swakop and its mouth was populated by elephants and rhinos. Today it is necessary to go up the dry bed for a long stretch before encountering some shrub and wild animals there is no trace for the whole arc of the valley.

The fate of this inhospitable place changed radically at the end of the 19th century, when the Germany imperiale decided to equip its new colony with a second port, in addition to that of Lüderitz, in Southern Namibia. The choice of the estuary was obligatory as the nearby bay of Walvis, more suitable for creating a mooring, was in hand British. In 1892 the first structures were built in the form of piers that could not withstand the waves and in 1903 they were definitively destroyed. Work on reinforced concrete structures began in 1912 but was stopped two years later due to the outbreak of the First World War. The city declined in the following fifty years and recovered when an asphalted road was completed that connected it to Windhoek greatly shortening the travel times.

Thanks to its monuments that have remained intact, Swakopmund established itself as a tourist center. Today even its unfinished wharf has become a tourist attraction. To please its visitors, palm trees were planted on the waterfront and flower beds were created.

When to go

Staying in Swakopmund in July, August, recommended months to visit the rest of the Namibia, may not be a good idea in the specific case of Swakopmund. In this period the city, like the whole coast, is shrouded in fog and the minimum temperature at night can drop below 10 °, making it necessary to use heating.

How to orient yourself

How to get

Swakopmund is 362 km away Windhoek. The route takes place along a modern asphalted road the "B2". It takes about 5 hours to go from one center to another.

How to get around

What see

• State House (Am Zoll Street). Built in 1902 as the seat of the district court, the State House now serves as the summer residence of the President of Namibia and its interiors are not open to visitors. It meets on the seafront near the lighthouse. 
• Haus Hohenzollern, Moltke corner Brücken street. Built in 1906 as a luxury hotel. the Haus Hohenzollern stands out for its Art Nouveau decorations on the outside. These include reliefs depicting wreathed angels, lion statues on the ledge, and a statue of Atlas holding a globe at the summit. Today, private apartments have been created from the hotel. 
• Lutheran Church. 
• aquarium. 
• Old railway station, Bahnhof Street. Inaugurated in 1901, the building boasts the title of the oldest German railway station built outside the motherland. Its style is reminiscent of a miniature fairy castle. Today it is used as a hotel. 
• Kaserne (Literally Barracks), Bismarck Street. Building erected in 1906 in the form of a fortress to house the officials of the railway company in charge at the time of building the port infrastructures. The entrance hall is decorated with coats of arms of the German states (landers). Today it functions as a youth hostel. 

Events and parties

What to do

• Sandboard. Descent from the dunes with the board. 

Shopping

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Moderate prices

Pensions

• ^{[link not working]}Swakop Lodge, 42 Nathaniël Maxuilili, ☎ 264 64 402030, fax: 264 64 405016, @[email protected]. 
• Alte Brücke Resort & Conference Center[1]
• Meikes Gästehaus 264 (0) 64 405863
• The Secret Garden Guesthouse 264 (0) 64 404037
• The Stiltz^{[link not working]} 264 (0) 61 256580
• Sea Breeze Guesthouse^{[link not working]} 264 (0) 64 463348

Average prices

Hotels

• Swakopmund Hotel & Entertainment Center Alter Bahnhof, ☎ 264 64 410 5200, fax: 264 64 410 5360, 264 64 410 5361, 264 64 410 5362, @[email protected]. 
• Hansa Hotel, ☎ 264 64 414 200, fax: 264 64 414 299, @[email protected]. 
• ^{[link not working]}Strand Hotel, ☎ 264 64 400 315, fax: 264 64 404 942, @[email protected]. 
• Eberwein hotel, Sam Nujoma Avenue, Swakopmund, ☎ 264 64 41 44 50, fax: 264 64 41 44 51, @[email protected]. 
• Schweizerhaus Hotel, 1 Bismarck Strasse, Swakopmund, ☎ 264 64 400331, 264 64 400332, 264 64 400333, fax: 264 64 405850, @[email protected]. 

Safety

The city does not present any kind of risk and this makes it safe from every point of view.

How to keep in touch

Around

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Swakopmund
• Commons contains images or other files on Swakopmund

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