The Asmara State House is the building, in Italian neoclassical style.

History

The former Italian government's palace was built in 1897 by Ferdinando Martini, the first Italian governor of Eritrea. The Italian government wanted to create in

Asmara Asmara ( ), or Asmera (), is the capital and most populous city of Eritrea, in the country's Central Region (Eritrea), Central Region. It sits at an elevation of , making it the List of capital cities by altitude, sixth highest capital in the wo ...

(just made capital of Eritrea in place of Massawa) an impressive building, from where the Italian governors could show the dedication of the

Kingdom of Italy The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...

to the "Colonia primogenita" (first daughter-colony) as Eritrea was called.Ferdinando Martini.''RELAZIONE SULLA COLONIA ERITREA'' - Atti Parlamentari - Legislatura XXI - Seconda Sessione 1902 - Documento N. XVI -Tipografia della Camera dei Deputati. Roma, 1902 Today, The President of The State of Eritrea

Isaias Afewerki Isaias Afwerki (, ; born 2 February 1946) is an Eritrean politician and leader who has been the president of Eritrea since 1993 and the chairman of the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ) since 1994. Isaias joined the pro-independen ...

uses the State House for hosting Heads of States, holding diplomatic meetings, cabinet minister meetings and other government ceremonies and events. The President of The State of Eritrea doesn't reside in the State House. The President must live in a private residence among the people in the average neighborhood in the capital city.

Structure

Governor Ferdinando Martini wanted a structure with colonnades at the entrance in neoclassical style, surrounded by a park with lush vegetation. In his opinion the building would be the biggest and most beautiful in Asmara. The interior was decorated with Italian marble and furniture brought from

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The main hall was decorated with typical

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

stairs toward the projected second floor. The main doors were specially crafted with wood from

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

amazon.

Notes

{{Eritrea italiana (Colonia Primigenia) Buildings and structures in Asmara Presidential residences Government buildings completed in 1897 Houses completed in 1897 Italian East Africa Official residences in Eritrea hr:Predsjednička palača (Asmara)

History

Structure

See also

Notes