Category Archives: R. Doug Wicker

While Swakopmund may be famous for it’s German vibe, to Namibians it’s the beaches that are the bigt draw. We could see a beach in the distance, and we would later drive alongside the beach on our way back to Walvis Bay to rejoin the NCL Dawn. But Ursula’s primary reason for wanting to see Swakopmund was the 19th century German architecture and the German flavor of the shops, cafés, bakeries, and restaurants.

Want an example of the 19th century German architecture that you’ll find here? It doesn’t get much more Bavarian looking than this place:

German history is on display here in Swakopmund, as well. Ever hear of the Herero Wars? I hadn’t. The German colony experienced an uprising of the indigenous Herero and Nama peoples in a conflict that raged from 1904 to 1908. In Swakopmund you’ll find a memorial to the Marine Expeditiary Corps of the Imperial Schutztruppe who died during the initial stages of the uprising. This is a portion of Swakopmund’s Marine Memorial:

In case you’re wondering what make-model of rifle is depicted in that image above, tune in to this week’s Fun Photo Friday and I’ll identify it for you. Meanwhile, let’s look at a reminder that Swakopmund was established as a port city:

I’ll finish up today with this photo gallery/slide show of Swakopmund sights:

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Around noon on 14 March 2025 we continued our tour of Namib-Naukluft National Park. Refreshements and a bathroom break were about thirty minutes away, and the German town of Swakopmund awaited us beyond that. One of the sights I want to show you today is the fields of volcanic diabase (a.k.a., dolemite) that punctuate the Namib Desert.

One of the fascinating features of this high-density, finely grained rock is that it can ring like a bell when struck. Several of us tried this with various degrees of success depending on the size and shape of the dolerite boulder and how it was struck. No; these rocks aren’t hollow. They just sound that way.

Another look at female welwitschia cones before we head off:

After that we headed off to the Goanikontes Oasis Rest Camp for a brief respite from the day’s excursion. Here we found what one would expect at an oasis, trees:

Here we found a bar, restaurant, myriad picnic tables, the ubiquitous souvenir shop, picturesque rusted vehicles, and, hanging on the walls, grills from cars and pickup trucks. Old pickup trucks seemed very well represented:

After a brief rest it was time to load up and head west for a rather unique town. Swakopmund is located a short distance north of Walvis Bay. And if it has a distinctly German flavor, there’s a very good reason for that. The city was founded by Curt von François in 1892, and served as the primary harbor for German South West Africa colony (1884-1915).

German colonial influence never really waned in Namibia. German is still spoken here, 30,000 people of German ancestry inhabit the country, and the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation runs a German language radio station while television stations run news bulletins in German. Namibia even has a German newspaper — Allgemeine Zeitung. As for Swakopmund, the shops retain their German flavor, and German-style restaurants, cafés, and bakeries abound.

I’ll go more in depth on this fascinating town of 25,000 on Wednesday.

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