Accommodation and History of Shark Island Resort
From Concentration Camp to Budget and Luxury Accommodation
May 18, 2009
Although the history of Shark Island is not commonly known, a monument inside the campground of the resort hints to a somber and brutal past.
Shark Island, or in German, Haifisch Island, encloses the harbor of Lüderitz on one side. Industrial activity reclaimed the land between the Island resort and the town, thus the resort is not a true island, but a rocky peninsula, jutting out to sea. Visitors driving into Lüderitz keep to the main road, which will eventually end, at the gates of the resort.
Concentration Camp at Shark Island
Early in the 1900's, the indigenous people, the Nama and Herero, fought several wars against the oppression and brutal leadership of the German occupiers of Namibia. On 14 January 1904, the indigenous people killed 17 German men at Waterberg and started a Herero uprising. A similar uprising occurred by the Nama people in October of the same year. After the rescinding of an extermination order against the Herero’s, German troops started to take the indigenous tribes, prisoner and formed prisoner-of-war camps through the Namibian country.
The rocky outcrop at Lüderitz housed a concentration camp (in German Konzentrationslagern) of Nama and Herero prisoners between 1905 and 1907. The authorities erected no buildings and prisoners had to sleep in tents, if available, on the rocks. The island is infamous for the cold winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean throughout the year and German authorities provided very little shelter to the prisoners.
According to Casper Erichsen in Namibia's Island of Death Shark Island, off Namibia's coastal town of Lüderitz, was the venue of a brutal concentration camp during German colonial rule, the prisoners were used as forced laborers, especially the woman and children bore the brunt of the work to be done. The prisoners built the railroad between Lüderitz and Aus and once that was completed, they worked on the railroad between Aus and Keetmanshoop and in building the harbor.
Very few prisoners survived the harsh conditions of the Shark Island concentration camp and at times, it was alleged up to 18 people died on a daily basis. Bodies were buried in shallow graves on the beach and would be washed out to sea during high tide.
The camp closed down in 1907 after a visit by the new commander of the Schutztruppe (German soldiers) revealed the atrocious conditions existing inside the camp. The island today is a memorial to the German soldiers who died in the uprisings between 1904 and 1908.
Accommodation at Shark Island Resort Today
Today, Shark Island Resort is owned by the municipality of Lüderitz and offers visitors a variety of accommodation. These range from luxury accommodation for four people in the Light House on the resort to budget camping. Three chalets, each sleeping a maximum of 3 people, are situated on the access road to the resort and face the Atlantic Ocean.
Many activities, particularly boat trips, are planned around the weather. Very strong winds blow during summer, especially from August to January, only diminishing a little during winter. Sand storms and dense fog occur often. Summer temperatures can be extremely hot while winter nights are bitterly cold.
Day visitors may access the resort between the hours of 08h00 and 17h00 and all visitors should report to the offices in Schinz Street. In peak season, visitors must make prior bookings before visiting the Shark Island Resort. Numerous hotels and guest houses offer alternative accommodation in Lüderitz.
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