In 1885 a postal agency was opened in the store of
Otto Erhard who took on the duties of Post Master. Otto's part time job
carried with it a great amount of responsibility for the colony. When a
ship arrived with the mail he had the task of sorting the letters
not only for Swakopmund, but for all interior destinations also. It
was at these times that the locals, all eager for the latest news
from Germany, were a constant cause of distraction to the trusted
Mr. Erhard, so he made a ruling that his store would remain closed
until the post had been sorted without interruption. On
completion of this task, Erhard would walk into the street and fire
off a rounds from his revolver to announce to the people that they
could now come and collect their mail. As the colony grew the
responsibility of the Reich's Mail warranted a full time Post Office
with an appointed official. In these times the German flag would be
raised to indicate that the mail had been sorted and was ready for
collection. In 1888 German South West Africa became a member of the
Universal Postal Union. The construction of the large double story
building to house the Post Office in the then Schlucht Street commenced in 1906, and
was opened on 1 April 1907. The event was thought to be of such
importance to the country that the street was renamed Post Street. It remained as the Post Office until 31 March 1967
when it was put into commission as the
Swakopmund Municipality Offices.
The original (1902) beacon was situated at the end of the
Mole and was soon washed away by the powerful South Atlantic
rollers. By 1903 an 11 meter high lighthouse was built on the 11
meter high dune that overlooked the
Mole Basin. The light helped to
guide shipping as far as 13 nautical miles out. The next few years saw
a dramatic increase in traffic to the port
of Swakopmund and in 1910 the structure was raised another 10
meters, enabling the light to be seen for 35 nautical miles. The
lighthouse remains operative to this day.
The Great War 1914 -18:
Sadly the expansion was to halt suddenly with the outbreak of the
Great War. A British Auxiliary cruiser shelled the town at will causing a
general evacuation inland to the safety of the desert. The lifeline of the
colony had been severed and the much needed supplies and ammunition were no
longer available through the port of Swakopmund.
The South African Union
troops entered Swakopmund on 15 January 1915 to find a deserted town. An
armistice was declared with the citizens in July and the people of
Swakopmund returned to a lifeless town. Gone was the
bustling sea port, for the new authorities made use of the harbour
facility at Walvis Bay. A terrible depression followed and many people were
forced for economic reasons to leave town. By October 1919 all German officials along with
their families were expelled from the country. A total of 5781 people had to
be relocated.
1923:
The ruling authorities agreed on a salvage plan for the town. It was to be
developed into being a holiday resort for the people of South West Africa. Swakopmund's healthier climate
also made it an attractive place in which to educate children. Initially
South African children were given the use of the existing schools, while the
German speaking children were moved into disused buildings such as the
Wille-Haus, The Kaserne, The
Woermann Haus, The Ritterburg and the Altes
Amtsgericht. Separate hostels were opened to accommodate the pupils. The
attractions of the climate also found favour with people who had decided to
spend their retirement years away from the heat of the inland summer.
Swakopmund continued to
establish itself as being a holiday and retirement venue. Industrial
development remained small along with population growth until the
early seventies when the Rossing Uranium Mine was being built some
70km into the desert. The town enjoyed a boom as housing for employees
and all of their needs had to be catered for. Since independence
Swakopmund has developed at a steady pace and the Municipality have
wisely recognized the importance of tourism. Many of the once
salt streets have now been tarred or covered with interlocking bricks.
There has been a flourish of apartment block developments most of
which have architecture in keeping with the character of the town.
Acknowledgements and further reading: A1, H5, H8, H11, M3, P2
Back to Swakopmund History Pt 1
