Featured Place: Kolmanskop, Namibia

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Prior to World War I, Namibia came down with diamond fever.  In the area now known as Kolmanskop, the precious stones were found in abundance throughout 1908, triggering an influx of new settlers hoping to capitalize on the riches.   

For the most part, they were successful; resident of Kolmanskop accumulated enough wealth to build an entire town influenced by German aesthetics, replete with ballrooms, bowling alleys, mansions, and the first x-ray machine south of the equator.

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That said, history is a fickle mistress.  The outbreak of the war caused a chain reaction reaching all the way to Kolmanskop as the diamond market slowly dried up.  By less than 50 years after its inception, Kolmanskop had become a ghost town reclaimed by the desert.  Today visitors can explore the structurally sound, completely vacant buildings, leaving poor in minerals but rich in aesthetic momentos. 

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To learn more about Kolmanskop, Namibia, including trip planning details, visit its full listing on Atlas Obscura.