The Scientific Society Swakopmund is constituted as an association not for gain and is dedicated to the preservation of Namibian history and culture, as well as to Namibia-specific scientific topics with focus on the Namib Desert and the coastline.

The Society is the owner and operator of both, the Swakopmund Museum and the Sam Cohen Library with its associated archive, which contains several collections of books, documents, historic photographs, slides and photographic negatives, postcards, historic maps and the largest historical newspaper collection of Namibian newspapers.

The Sam Cohen Library opened on December 3, 1977. Thanks to the generous financial support from Mr. Cohen, it was decided to name the library in his honour. The library and archives house nearly 30,000 books, documents and maps, as well as over 30,000 historical photos and postcards.

Open on Monday - Friday: 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

The Swakopmund Museum was established in 1951 by dentist Dr Alfons Weber, who had a love for history and natural history. It is the largest privately-run museum in Namibia. The exhibits include indigenous plants, animals, minerals, archaeological finds, old modes of transport in Namibia, and a variety of other interesting exhibitions.

Open on Monday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.