History of Swakopmund A small group of nomads called "bergdamas" were living in the Swakopvalley, and from time to time a group of Herero under leadership of chief Tjiponda frequented the area. Tjiponda called the rivermouth "Otjozondjii", meaning "place of mussels". Some Topnaar from the Kuisebdelta would also visit the Swakopvalley and it is assumed that in the early eighteenhundred, some American whalers would land at the rivermouth to replenish their supplies of drinking water. It is interesting to know that the prospector Sebastian van Reenen and the hunter Pieter Pienaar reported in 1793 that their was lush vegetation in the rivermouth with many trees and plenty of game, including elephants and rhinoceros. Over the years, the river today known as the Swakop, was given a number of names including the "Rhine" by missionary Knudsen and Somerset River by Lieutenant Ruxton in 1845. However, the name Swakop was eventually taken over from the words Tsoa(s) and Xoub meaning literally anus and excrements. This referred to the fact that the river when in flood, pushes tremendous amounts of mud, sand, plantdebris and also at times animalcadavers into the ocean, causing a dark brown discoloration similar to bowel movements. In 1884 the canon boat "Wolf" hoisted the German flag in the rivermouth and in the same year Ludwig Koch as representative of Adolf Lüderitz signed a deed of sale with the Topnaar captain Piet Haibib with regard to the central coastal area. Swakopmund was founded on 4 August 1892 when Kurt von Francois erected two beacons where the mole is today. Development was rapid from 32 inhabitants in 1895 to 617 inhabitants in 1902 and 2792 inhabitants by 1910. Within a few years the shipping industry with the harbour increased dramatically However, with the First World War, the harbour and town was attacked from the sea by British naval vessels. Swakopmund was evacuated due to this and temporarily became a ghost town. In January 1915, the Union troups marched into Swakopmund. By July 1915, the Swakopmunders could return home, but development was halted drastically until October 1923, when paragraph 8 of the London agreement guaranteed that the town was to be developed as a holiday resort with subsidies by the government. The harbour area was transformed into beachareas with changing rooms, green areas, tennis courts and cafes as well as a music pavillion. The mole was repaired and turned into a promenade. This was the foundation of Swakopmund to what the town is today, the premier holiday resort in Namibia. The increasing number of residents to Swakopmund and the rising demand for holiday accomodation brought further developments, including the establishment of the Municipal Bungalows (1952-1972) and a indoor heated swimming pool of olympic size (1971). Numerous hotels, restaurants and shopping facilities cater today for every need.   close window