Luanda's Iron Palace: Gustave Eiffel's Striking Metal Masterpiece

The Iron Palace in Luanda, Angola's capital, is a beautiful metal structure designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889-90 for an international exhibition. It reached Angola by chance: the ship carrying its pieces drifted due to the Benguela Current along the Skeleton Coast, was captured by Portuguese authorities, auctioned in 1896, and bought by Companhia Comercial de Angola as their headquarters. Abandoned after 1975 independence, it was rehabilitated in 2009 by the National Diamond Company for a planned Diamond Museum that never opened. Today, it hosts cultural events with a public art exhibition on the ground floor.