Spitzkoppe Mountain
Prior to 1884, Spitzkoppe was frequented by indigenous pastoralists and hunter-gatherers and subsequently by the Germans who established a quarantine station that was free of the highly contagious fatal African Horse Sickness. Between 1880 and the outbreak of the Rinderpest epidemic (which decimated cattle herds) in 1897, Spitzkoppe became increasingly important as a way-station on the transport route between Swakopmund and the interior.
YouTube video of Spitzkoppe Village:
The Deutsche Kolonial Gesellschaft wagon transport and trading station, depicted in the archival photograph, was built during the 1890s. The barren area which surrounded the station in 1896 contrasts with the matched image which documents the recovery of this site during the last 140 years. The site is now part of a Community Conservancy where livestock have recently been excluded.
Photo:
1) Deutsche Kolonial Gessellschaft, 1896 (National Archives of Namibia no. 2408)
2) Spitzkoppe Community Conservancy, 2016 (R. Rohde): same location
The Spitzkoppe (German for "pointed dome", also referred to as Spitzkop, Groot Spitzkop or the "Matterhorn of Namibia") is a group of bald granite peaks or inselbergs located between Usakos and Swakopmund in the Namib Desert of Namibia.
YouTube video of Spitzkoppe Mountain:
The granite is more than 120 million years old and the highest outcrop rises about 1,728 metres above sea level. The peaks stand out dramatically from the flat surrounding plains. The highest peak is about 670 m above the floor of the desert below. A minor peak, the Little Spitzkoppe, lies nearby at an elevation of 1,557 m. Other prominences stretch out into a range known as the Pontok Mountains.
Camping is provided by Spitzkoppe Camp.
YouTube video of Spitzkoppe Camp:
Many examples of Bushmen artwork can be seen painted on the rock in the Spitzkoppe area. The Spitzkoppe Mountains were also the filming location for 2001: A Space Odyssey in the "Dawn of Man" sequences.
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
Sd TW.
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