Palácio da Ponta Vermelha

The Palácio da Ponta Vermelha is the residence of the President of the Republic of Mozambique in Maputo . It is on average 63 meters above sea level on the Maputo Bay , which receives the water from the rivers Tembe , Umbeluzi , Matola and Maputo that flow here .

history

The Dutch, who occupied the country from 1720 to 1730, called the headland on which the palace is located, Roode Hoek ("Red Corner"). This was later translated by the English as Reuben Point , which Portuguese cartographers made Ponta Vermelha out of. Until 1896, Ponta Vermelha was a separate town from Lourenço Marques, later Maputo.

At the end of the 19th century, some buildings were erected on Ponta Vermelha, which served as warehouses and staff accommodation during the construction of the railway line ( Delagoa Railway ) to the Transvaal . On June 25, 1889, the Portuguese colonial government confiscated all assets that belonged to the railway construction. The “palace” at that time was a simple wood and iron construction.

In 1895 Ponta Vermelha became the official seat of the Governor General, who previously resided in Ilha de Moçambique . The villa has been expanded and renovated several times. The renovation by the Italian Francesco Masci in the period from 1905 to 1906 was particularly extensive.

Since Mozambique gained independence in June 1975, the Palácio da Ponta Vermelha has been the official seat of the country's president .

Web links

• Presidência da República de Moçambique: Palácio da Ponta Vermelha História (Portuguese) ( Memento of August 21, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

Coordinates: 25 ° 58 ′ 49.8 ″  S , 32 ° 35 ′ 23.6 ″  E