The National Palace (), formerly Jubilee Palace, is a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

. It is an official residence of President of Ethiopia since the Derg government. Prior to the date, it was the house of

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen or ''Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles#Lij, Lij'' Tafari; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as the Ethiopian aristocratic and court titles, Rege ...

until the 1974 coup d'état.

History

The palace was built in 1955 and named Jubilee to mark the Silver Jubilee of

. After a coup attempt in the Guenete Leul Palace in 1960, the Emperor made the Jubilee Palace his main residence. However, the seat of government remained at the Imperial Palace. In 1957, it has been called the Ministry of Imperial Court, also known as "Ye Gebi Ministry". The palace was expanded and doubled in size between 1966 and 1967. The Jubilee Palace was the site of the dethronement of Emperor Haile Selassie in September 1974. Ten low ranking military officers appeared before the Emperor in the palace library and read him the statement of the Derg, which officially removed him from the throne. The Derg renamed the palace the National Palace, which it still bears today. The Derg used this palace for state ceremonies involving visiting heads of state, state banquets and receptions. The Derg added a swimming pool to the grounds. With the fall of the Derg, and the proclamation of the Federal Republic, the National Palace became the official residence of the president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The president has a ceremonial role and uses the palace for official functions. In 2005, a proclamation was issued for streamline work in the Administration Office where 13 palaces were administered by the office, which was charged for organizing state reception. The office has 14 directorates and 1,060 employees. In 2019, The

Ethiopian government The government of Ethiopia () is the federal government of Ethiopia. It is structured in a framework of a federal republic, federal parliamentary system, parliamentary republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, prime minister is the hea ...

announced in its intention to build a new official presidential residence, after which the National Palace inaugurated a new museum. It continues to house the president until that time.

Current state

The Administration carries restored 10 old buildings constructed by Emperor

Menelik II Menelik II ( ; horse name Aba Dagnew (Amharic: አባ ዳኘው ''abba daññäw''); 17 August 1844 – 12 December 1913), baptised as Sahle Maryam (ሣህለ ማርያም ''sahlä maryam'') was king of Shewa from 1866 to 1889 and Emperor of Et ...

and his daughter Empress Zewditu inside Menelik Palace. The renovation was undertaken by Vareno consultancy.

History

Current state

References

External links