Saturday, June 6, 2009

The search for Fort Mucusso

During a recent trip to Bagani on 23 May 2009, we went for the search of the Ruin of Fort Mucusso, the old portugese Fort that was built on Namibian Soil. We had Finko with us who was at the fort in 1991 but unfortunately he could not exactly pinpoint it. The is no road going directly to it and the locals also know nothing or at least pretend to know nothing.
Finko just mentioned a group of 3 Baobabs where you have to turn in towards the river. The last piece you have to walk through the rather dense bush. The track is very overgrown, but from the Orthophoto I suspect that we turned back just a little bit too early - well, maybe next time...
The last time we tried, in 2005, we were turned back by the security forces who maintained that the area is mined.
I'll certainly be back and find the ruin and put it on the map.

The Photos show the Fort as it was in 1909 photographed by Lt. Streitwolf and as it looks now. Note that the portugese removed all trees around the fort and how they have regrown in the last 100 years.


More information on Fort Mucusso can be found at http://books.google.com/books?id=ttrwvn6PjPAC&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&dq=mucusso+fort&source=bl&ots=Z_dXU9rYo9&sig=j61ImY-Cx9f2CXBmNsmobrLCK0U&hl=en&ei=b9IfSr-cN8KfjAfz1Ki1Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#PPA332,M1 (sorry but it's in german...)

The 2 Photos above show the Ruins in 1991

Photos were taken by Oberstleutnant Streitwolf in 1909 and Helmut Finkeldey 1991. Both B&W Photos were published by the Allgemeine Zeitung in Windhoek on 5 May 1991