History of Karibib Karibib was developed in the first place as a railway link to the inland as well as a trading post. Already in 1899, the Hälbich family donated 6 hectares of land to the brigade responsible for building the railway line. The company Eduard Hälbich & Co was the oldest European trading establishment in the hisotry of this country and is closely intertwined with the history and development of the town Karibib. The foundations for such undertakings were laid down by Eduard Hälbich senior in Otjimbingwe in the year 1864, although actual trading activities were only started in 1873. Eduard Hälbich junior in November 1900 relocated the main business to Karibib as the traffic increased dramatically due to the progressing completion of the railway link between Swakopmund and Windhoek. Another trader, Gustav Rösemann came to German South West Africa in 1884. On 5 August 1897, Rösemann bought a piece of land in Karibib from the second chief of the Hereros, under-chief Zacharias Zeraua and the negotiators Victor Emanuel and Nicona Katjipatera, which initially was used as resting place for his visits to the town while still situated in Otjimbingwe. In the year 1900, when the railway station was built in Karibib, Rösemann and a partner Kronewitter immediately established a store on their acquired erven opposite the railway station. The train ride from Swakopmund to Windhoek was long and arduous. Karibib was halfway and the passengers naturally stayed over, once the first hotels were built. Still today, Karibib serves as halfway stop between the inland and the coast.   close window