Mbanza-Ngungu, formerly known as Thysville or Thysstad, named after
Albert Thys
Albert Thys (28 November 1849 – 10 February 1915) was a Belgian businessman who was active in the Congo Free State. He gave his name of Thysville to the station of Sona Qongo, currently Mbanza-Ngungu in Bas-Congo.
Born in Dalhem, Thys gra ...
, is a city and territory in
Kongo Central
Kongo Central ( kg, Kongo dia Kati ), formerly Bas-Congo is one of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Its capital is Matadi.
History
At the time of independence, the area now encompassing Kongo Central was part of the ...
Province in the western part of the
Democratic Republic of Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, lying on a short branch off the
Matadi-Kinshasa Railway. It has a population of nearly 100,000 people.
Overview
Formerly known as a
resort town, it is home to the
Thysville Caves, which encompass the entire range of the colourless
African blind barb. It is home to a major
FARDC
The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: Forces armées de la république démocratique du Congo ARDC is the state organisation responsible for defending the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The FARDC was rebuilt pat ...
garrison: the 1st Armoured Brigade was based here during the early 1990s period.
[Ed. by
Sandra W. Meditz and Tim Merrill]
Country Study for Zaire
1993, Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
The 1st Armoured Brigade was first listed in the IISS Military Balance in 1982-83 edition, implying that the brigade may have been created during that period.
[IISS Military Balance 82/83, page 71] The city's other main industry is
railway engineering
Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of rail transport systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil engineering, comput ...
.
The city is currently the main site of
Kongo University
Kongo University (french: l’Université Kongo) is a university in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its name is abbreviated to UK, after its French name. The main offices of the university are located in Mbanza-Ngungu. UK currently operat ...
.
Gallery
Swiss photographer
Annemarie Schwarzenbach
Annemarie Minna Renée Schwarzenbach (23 May 1908 – 15 November 1942) was a Swiss writer, journalist and photographer. Her bisexual mother brought her up in a masculine style, and her androgynous image suited the bohemian Berlin society of the ...
, took photos from May 1941 until March 1942. They are shown below.
File:CH-NB - Belgisch-Kongo, Thysville (Mbanza Ngungu)- Eisenbahn - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-26-038.jpg, Two (2) trains, one has derailed, the other came to help.
File:CH-NB - Belgisch-Kongo, Thysville (Mbanza Ngungu)- Alltagsszene - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-26-079.jpg, Daily life.
File:CH-NB - Belgisch-Kongo, Thysville (Mbanza Ngungu)- Dorfansicht - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-26-051.jpg, View of the village.
File:CH-NB - Belgisch-Kongo, Thysville (Mbanza Ngungu)- Landschaft - Annemarie Schwarzenbach - SLA-Schwarzenbach-A-5-26-012.jpg, Hills around Mbanza-Ngungu.
See also
*
*
Tintin in the Congo
''Tintin in the Congo'' (french: link=no, Tintin au Congo; ) is the second volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Commissioned by the conservative Belgian newspaper for its children's supplemen ...
References
Populated places in Kongo Central
{{DRCongo-geo-stub