Tsumeb looks quite green. The prettiest time is spring when the Jacaranda trees are in bloom. The "Garden Town" of Tsumeb, with its 15 000 inhabitants, is economically dependent on the mining industry. Even the bushmen found copper here, in a malachite hill, which they bartered for tobacco with the Ovambo.
Around 1900, the industrial mining of copper, lead, silver, zinc and cadmium started. The ore deposits of Tsumeb - of volcanic origin - in fact, contain many more minerals, some of them rare ones. In total 217 different minerals were discovered. Nowhere else in the world can such a variety be found. The mine went bankrupt some years ago, but in the meantime operations have been taken up again.
You can learn about the wonderworld of minerals and crystals in the museum of Tsumeb's local history. The dedicated curator, Ilse Schatz, who founded the museum in 1975, can tell interesting stories from the colonial times of Tsumeb. Find more information, travel advice and accommodation on the INFO page.
Top left: Dioptasis from Tsumeb. Below: St. Barbara Church in Tsumeb. Right: Tsumeb Museum. |
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