The ''Palais de la Nation'' (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

; Palace of the Nation) is a building in Gombe,

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one of ...

, which since 2001 serves as the official residence of the President of the

Democratic Republic of the 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 ...

. The ''palais'' was built in 1956 to a design by , as the official residence of the colonial Governor-General. It is located in the north of Kinshasa, on the banks of the

Congo River The Congo River ( kg, Nzâdi Kôngo, french: Fleuve Congo, pt, Rio Congo), formerly also known as the Zaire River, is the second longest river in Africa, shorter only than the Nile, as well as the second largest river in the world by discharg ...

. After Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960, the ''Palais'' became a symbol of the new state. The official ceremonies surrounding independence, including King Baudoin's Proclamation, declaring the Congo's independence and Patrice Lumumba's speech denouncing colonialism, took place in the ''palais'' on 30 June. It briefly served as the seat of the Congolese parliament, now based in the '' Palais du Peuple'', after independence. Following the restoration of the Congo after the fall of

Mobutu Sese Seko Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga (; born Joseph-Désiré Mobutu; 14 October 1930 – 7 September 1997) was a Congolese politician and military officer who was the president of Zaire from 1965 to 1997 (known as the Democratic Republic o ...

, the mausoleum of

Laurent-Désiré Kabila Laurent-Désiré Kabila () (27 November 1939 – 18 January 2001) or simply Laurent Kabila ( US: ), was a Congolese revolutionary and politician who was the third President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1997 until his assassinatio ...

was built in front of the palace.

References

External links

Official website of the Congolese President
{{Kinshasa Buildings and structures in Kinshasa Politics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Lukunga District