Maria David
A CULTURAL history of a society can be studied in great detail using stones and gems.
The recent launching of the Tsumeb Mineralogical and Mining Museum will thus help to preserve the town’s rich mining and industrial history.
The Tsumeb Industrial Heritage Site has most recently been proposed for designation as a Heritage Place and may have to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in order to become a globally recommended travel destination.
According to Jens Frautschy, chairperson of the Tsumeb Industrial Heritage Association/Tsumeb Museum, there are presently approximately 300 distinct valuable stones.
Frautschy did, however, mention that fresh stones are unruffled every two years to be kept at the museum.
In 2018, the town council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in Germany with the overall goal to pursue the material research of the Tsumeb Industrial Heritage Site for well recognized historical-technical studies and for local and international visibility.
Researched information further shows the importance of geological, mineralogical and historical aspects that make up the Tsumeb Mine and the town of Tsumeb.
Plans are also underway to restore and rehabilitate the De Wet Shaft built in the 1960s, representing one of the oldest known riveted steel headgears of the Promnitz design worldwide.
