Luanda - Angola

Angola is also an hard to get country but I'm lucky to have a few cards from there. In Paulo's envelopes I've found five or 6 new cards. These two are from Luanda, Angola's capital city.

Fotografia: Francisco Bernardo

The Palace of the National Assembly of Angola is a complex consisting of three buildings and two parking lots. It was built by the Angolan government from 2010 to 2015 to function as the new seat of the country's legislative power.

 

Fotografia de arquivo INFOTUR

The Iron Palace is a historical building in Luanda, believed to have been designed and built by – or by someone associated with – Gustave Eiffel.

The history of the structure is shrouded in mystery since no official record of it exists. It is believed to have been pre-built in the 1890s in France and was destined to be placed in Madagascar via boat. Instead, the building ended-up in Angola's Skeleton Coast after the ship carrying it was drifted by the notorious Benguela currents. Portuguese rulers of the colony then claimed the ship along with all its contents, including the palace.

During the Portuguese era, the building had a great deal of prestige and it was used as an art center. But after the independence of Angola, the palace was left in neglect with its surrounding area eventually ending up as a parking lot. It was also heavily damaged during the Angolan Civil War leaving some of its structures in a rusted and rotting condition. - in: wikipedia

However the building was revamped and repaired in the 2010s with the help of a diamond company as well as municipal funds.