RARE IMPERIAL GERMAN AFRICAN COLONIES FLAG FROM SWAKOPMUND NAMIBIA WITH SILK CENTRE PANELS
HISTORY
Swakopmund (German: Mouth of the Swakop) is a city on the coast of Western Namibia, 352 km (219 mi) west of the Namibian capital Windhoek. It was Captain Curt Von Francois who founded Swakopmund in 1892 as the main harbour for the Imperial German colony of South West Africa.
Between 1904 and 1908, German colonial forces killed, tortured and displaced thousands of Herero and Nama people in what some historians have called the first genocide of the 20th century. After an uprising against brutal German settler colonial rule in what was then known as German Southwest Africa, many Herero were forced into the Omaheke Desert and left to die of starvation and thirst. Thousands of Nama later suffered a similar fate. Those who survived were imprisoned in concentration camps, where they were subjected to sexual violence, forced labor and medical experiments by German officials, with the aim of exterminating the indigenous people. As many as 60,000 Herero—more than 80% of the group’s total population living in German Southwest Africa at that time—and 10,000 Nama—50% of the population—are estimated to have died.
ITEM DESCRIPTION
This rare five piece flag is is made of three cotton panels of the German National colours with two centre circular panels (on on each side opposing) of the Imperial German Eagle printed on a silken type material. The end of the flag has clear issue stamp markings of 'Reichekolonialamt', Imperial Eagle and SWAKOPMUND with an issue date of 1913. The flag is in very good condition with no rips or tears and is of excellent quality due to the silken type material on the centre circular panels. The flag measures 920mm x 620mm and is an ideal size for display with your Imperial German collection.