Grasplatz
Encyclopedia
Grasplatz is a defunct railway station in the south of Namibia
on the decommissioned Aus
- Lüderitz
line. It is the place where in 1908 railway worker Zacharias Lewalwa found the first diamond in German South-West Africa
and handed it over to his foreman August Stauch
. Stauch's subsequent investigation triggered a diamond rush.
The place was originally called Grasabladeplatz (grass offload point) because here, before the railway was in place, alfalfa
was stored to feed oxen before the ox wagons set off through the waterless Namib.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
on the decommissioned Aus
Aus, Namibia
Aus is a village in Karas Region in southern Namibia. It lies on a railway line and the B4 national road, 230 km west of Keetmanshoop and about 125 km east of Lüderitz. Trains from Keetmanshoop now terminate at the village but formerly continued on to Lüderitz. The village is small but...
- Lüderitz
Lüderitz
Lüderitz is a harbour town in south-west Namibia, lying on one of the least hospitable coasts in Africa. It is a port developed around Robert Harbour and Shark Island.- Overview :...
line. It is the place where in 1908 railway worker Zacharias Lewalwa found the first diamond in German South-West Africa
German South-West Africa
German South West Africa was a colony of Germany from 1884 until 1915, when it was taken over by South Africa and administered as South West Africa, finally becoming Namibia in 1990...
and handed it over to his foreman August Stauch
August Stauch
August Stauch is considered the discoverer of the diamond deposits near the settlement of Lüderitz in the then colony of German South-West Africa, now Namibia....
. Stauch's subsequent investigation triggered a diamond rush.
The place was originally called Grasabladeplatz (grass offload point) because here, before the railway was in place, alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
was stored to feed oxen before the ox wagons set off through the waterless Namib.