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Museum of the Armed Forces (Angola)

1975 establishments in AngolaAngolan War of IndependenceHistoriography of AngolaMilitary and war museumsMilitary of Angola
Municipalities in LuandaMuseums established in 1975Museums in Luanda
Luanda SMiguelFort2
Luanda SMiguelFort2

The Museum of the Armed Forces (Portuguese: Museu das Forças Armadas) is located in Fortaleza de São Miguel de Luanda, in the Ingombota District of Luanda, Angola. Founded in 1975, following the independence of Angola, the museum includes bi-motor airplanes, combat vehicles, and diverse arms and artifacts used during the Angolan War of Independence (1961–1974), the South African Border War (1966-1991), and the Angolan Civil War (1975–2002). The museum also contains statuary which ornamented the avenues and plazas of colonial Luanda, which were removed after independence. These include the statue of Diogo Cão, the first European to set foot in Angola, of Paulo Dias de Novais, founder of the city of São Paulo da Assunção de Luanda, of Vasco da Gama, and of famous Portuguese poet Luís de Camões, among others. The museum grounds and outdoor exhibits, long in a delipidated state, underwent an extensive restoration project at some point between 1997 and 2013.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Museum of the Armed Forces (Angola) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Museum of the Armed Forces (Angola)
Luanda Kinanga

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N -8.8075 ° E 13.223055555556 °
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Luanda, Kinanga
Luanda Province, Angola
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Luanda SMiguelFort2
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Palácio de Ferro
Palácio de Ferro

Palácio de Ferro (English: Iron Palace) is a historical building in the Angolan capital Luanda, believed to have been designed and built by – or by someone associated with – Gustave Eiffel, builder of the world-famous icons, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Statue of Liberty in New York City. 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 grounded by the notorious Benguela Current. 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. Currently, the building is undergoing a renovation funded by profits from Angola's oil boom with the help of Brazilian construction companies, as many of the reclaimed iron balustrades and floor tiles were individually renovated in Rio de Janeiro. It now stands as the symbol of the city's rebirth as well as a point of social reference for the future. The Ministry of Culture of Angola is still deciding whether the building is to become a diamond museum or a restaurant.