Seeheim is a settlement in the
ǁKaras Region of southern
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...
. The only notable structures in Seeheim today are the hotel and the
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
; only a handful of people live there. Seeheim belongs to the
Keetmanshoop Rural electoral constituency.
History
Seeheim was founded in 1896 as a base for the German
Schutztruppe. Early in the 20th century its sole purpose was that of a junction station where the lines from
Keetmanshoop
Keetmanshoop is a town in the ǁKaras Region of southern Namibia. It is named after , a German Empire, German industrialist and benefactor of the city. Keetmanshoop had a population of 27,862 people in 2023.
History
Before the colonial era, ...
diverted to
Lüderitz and
Karasburg. The line Keetmanshoop-Lüderitz was built from 1905 to 1908, the line Keetmanshoop-Karasburg in 1909. The
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
was the reason to build these railway links through inhospitable land. Soon however, transport demand peaked due to the
diamond rush that developed after a railway worker picked up a diamond near
Grasplatz station, 24 kilometers east of Lüderitz. People travelling from the inland to Lüderitz had to stay overnight at Seeheim junction. This was the reason for the erection of two hotels, one of which has become operational again after standing empty for 30 years.
In the 1950s, Seeheim was a settlement of considerable size. Afterwards, the town gradually fell into decline. The school closed down and the residents began to leave.
Transport
In 1974 the main road
B2 was re-directed, leaving Seeheim in the middle of nowhere with only a small gravel access road, and the railway access.
Seeheim station today is part of the
Namibian Railways. The passenger line to Lüderitz has been defunct for many years because the rails have been exposed to the harsh desert environment and erosion - being continuously covered by sand between
Aus and
Lüderitz. The maintenance and repair of the railway line remains an ongoing struggle for the Namibian Government.
Economic activities
Apart from Seeheim Hotel, a nostalgic stopover for tourists on their way to
Fish River Canyon, there is a furniture maker.
See also
*
Railway stations in Namibia
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in the ǁKaras Region
1896 establishments in German South West Africa
Populated places established in 1896