Swakopmund celebrates 130 years since founding
The historical coastal town of Swakopmund commenced with celebrations for its 130th anniversary since its founding.
The town will be hosting festivities that include the festival of lights, street markets, a sports festival, a music festival, and an art exhibition over the entire month of August, in recognition of the founding of the coastal town.
Speaking at an event in Swakopmund, Erongo regional governor, Neville Andre said tourists should receive the welcoming friendliness that the town’s residents are renowned for now that COVID-19 travel restrictions have been lifted,
“Let us show them our beautiful natural attractions and let them feel our hospitality,” he said, stressing that crime paints a bad image to tourists and prevents them to contribute to the overall economic growth of the region and subsequently the country.
“Let us not rob them or attack them but let us cooperate with the law enforcement officers to report any incident that might negatively affect the tourism industry,” emphasized Andre.
Initially, in 1862 the crew of a German gunboat hoisted the German flag at the mouth of the Swakop River to signal the territory’s occupancy. Another gunboat marked the possible landing site with poles in August 1892. With this sovereign act, the occupation of this coastal area by the German Reich was demonstrated to the English who were occupying the harbor of Walvis Bay.
The town has since grown into a tourism hub with historic buildings like the lighthouse, the jetty, the Altes Amtsgericht, and many others. (Xinhua).
