About Us
Located directly on the historic Swakopmund Jetty which was built in 1905. After being closed for 10 years the Jetty was renovated and reopened to the public by The Lighthouse Group on 6 August 2010, and now serves as one of the top restaurants in Swakopmund.
A meal at the Jetty 1905 promises breathtaking views over the ocean but also overlooking Swakopmund and the beautiful coastline. Our menu provides a variety of seafood dishes, with sushi, steak, vegetarian and more, please view our menu under the About/Info section of this Facebook page.
The Jetty 1905 is a favourite venue for clients who want a romantic evening or to celebrate a special occasion. Do not miss out the Jetty 1905 is a must for every visitor to Swakopmund.
The Jetty History
During the first years of the 1900’s it was decided that a wooden landing jetty should be constructed for the purpose of off-loading the boats and rafts. This was a crucial decision to try and improve the manner in which cargo could be offloaded from the ships. The Swakopmund Mole had served as the harbour for many years, however, there was an ongoing problem of the harbour silting up and so the idea for a jetty was born.
On 25 October 1904, sixty men of the 2nd Eisenbahn-Baukompagnie landed at the Swakopmund Mole to commence with the construction of the new jetty. The rough Atlantic surf made the operation of securing the foundations and lower pillars a treacherous task for the building team. As the Mole continued to silt up the team of builders & engineers had to deal with extremely tough working conditions but also had to race against time to complete the jetty. The Jetty was completed 25 April 1905, and it was 275m long and 9m wide. But by 1907 the volume of goods being off loaded at the jetty had increased to such an extent that a decision was taken to extend the jetty by 50m and to widen it a further 5m, this would ensure that bulkier cargo could be handled more efficiently.
Companies encountered major budget problems during the early days of shipping goods to Swakopmund, many good were imported but there were no exports until the Otavi Copper Mine came into production and the export of ore began in late 1907, and by 1911 the first blocks of marble from Karibib were shipped out of Swakopmund.
The Jetty encountered problems as the Atlantic Ocean continued to batter her foundations – and the marine borer mollusc (Teredo Navalis) weakened the wooden beams. So in 1912 began the construction of the new steel jetty. This new construction was a joint venture by the companies.
Flander A.G., Benroth and Grun & Bilfinger. The new jetty was planned to be 640m long, and would be built south of the wooden jetty. However, with the outbreak of the First World War construction of the steel jetty was halted after only reaching a length of 262m. The jetty foundations were drilled and secured with pillars to the bedrock below. There are 2 original ‘stamper’ drills bits of 63cm and 93 cm which are, today, seen mounted on a pedestal at the entry point to the Jetty.
In 1934, after the unusually heavy rains inland, masses of sand was washed down the Swakop River and settled along the shoreline which increased the beachbreak to past the end of the Jetty! It took many years before the shoreline receded again.
The Swakopmund Jetty became a favorite fishing ‘spot’ with anglers and was also a popular place for couples to take romantic strolls. It is a famous location for breathtaking sunset views and a popular subject for photographers from all around the world. From the end of the jetty you can also enjoy an unspoilt panorama of the picturesque Swakopmund.
In 1983 a jetty fund was started, to implement major repairs after the Jetty was considered to be too unsafe for pedestrian use. An amount of N$300,000 was raised after numerous collections and fund raisers, however the funds were insufficient to complete the much needed repairs. The Municipality of Swakopmund recognized the tourist value of the Jetty as well as its role as a historical landmark, and the Mayor of Swakopmund, the late Daniel Kamho started the ‘Save the Jetty Fund’ and eventually the renovations were undertaken in a joint venture between Kraatz Marine, Walvis Bay Diving & Bicon Engineering in September 2005. The Jetty was re-opened after 13 months of challenging renoveations on the 6th of October 2006.
The Lighthouse Group approached the Town Council with a proposal to develop, maintain and manage the Jetty on behalf of the community and the council approved the plans to make the Jetty a commercially viable project, which is how the concept of the Jetty 1905 was born. The remaining renovations to the Jetty were implemented by the Lighthouse Group and the Jetty 1905 was opened by the Swakopmund Mayor on 6 August 2010, the Jetty 1905 Restaurant was opened on the 14th of October 2010, and has since become one of the most iconic tourist spots in Namibia.
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Contact Us
Jetty 1905 Restaurant
- End of Jetty Pier, Swakopmund
- Tel: +264 81 380 3595
- Email: jetty1905@lhg.na