Stay : The historical Congo
The history of the communes in Kinshasa is intimately linked to the evolution of economic activities that intensified with the change in status of the independent state of Congo, which became the Belgian Congo in 1908. The historical tour starts at the central station and ends at the Mont Ngaliema complex, visiting the spaces, vestiges and places that made the history of the city.
Summary of the stay
Best time to go
10 days
€€ - Charm and comfort
Where to stay - Matadi ?
The map of your stay - R D Congo
Detail of the stay : The historical Congo - 10 days
Day 1: Central Station
Steps: Matadi
On the wall, a fresco represents the workers who left their lives on the Matadi-Léopoldville rail yard and inside is exposed to the first locomotive entrance to the station on the day of the inauguration of the line (March 16, 1898).
Day 2: Sainte-Anne Complex
Steps: Kinshasa
The Church Sainte-Anne is the first Catholic cathedral in the city built in 1913. The second attraction of the site is the Institut Elikya/Saint-Joseph created in 1917 by Father Raphaël de la Kethulle to host the first vocational school in Kinshasa. It is possible to stay on the site, at Sainte-Anne.
EGLISE SAINTE-ANNE
Day 3: Wagenia Avenue
From the entrance of the Beach Ngobila to the location of the OCC Branch, the baobabs report the remains of the ancient Nshasa village. On this avenue, the portfolio of the Ministry of the Portfolio, headquarters of the first bank of the Congo (1909) became the Commercial bank of the Congo (BCDC). In front of the department, a building that housed the first hotel in the city (ABC became the Palace). The architecture of the time reflects the memory of this place. This building is currently occupied by some Services services.
Day 4: Forrescom Building
Built in 1946, this nine-story building was the first multi-story building in Central Africa, and especially the first Art Deco inspired one, beautifully renovated today with the Cha-Cha Bar occupying the 9th floor.
Day 5: Concession of the Protestant Church
Steps: Kalemie
Between Colonel-Lukusa and Kalemie avenues, several sites and buildings bear witness to the presence of the first Protestant missionaries in Kinshasa. One can see in particular the Sims Chapel (built in 1915), the houses on stilts of the Baptist Missionary Society and the Centre d'Accueil Protestant (CAP) where it is possible to stay.
Day 6: Boulevard du 30-Juin
Steps: Kinshasa
Avenue du Roi-Albert was originally built on the old railroad line and connected Leo I (east) and Leo II (west) over a distance of approximately 7 km. The two columns on the station square once surrounded the monument to King Albert I in memory of the Belgian monarch's first trip to the Congo. This monument, which was removed under Mobutu, can be seen in the museum enclosure on Mount Ngaliema. On the other side of Avenue Colonel Lukusa, in front of the Supreme Court, at the current location of the statue of the Weeping Woman, was the Victory monument, which symbolizes the campaign of the Public Force during the 1914-1818 war. This monument is also displayed at Mount Ngaliema.
Day 7: The nerve centre of power
If the history of the city has followed the evolution of commercial activities with the arrival of the first train from Matadi, political life has imposed itself with the transfer of the capital of the country from Boma to Kinshasa in 1923, which thus becomes the centre of power until today. We will be able to observe the Nation's Palace and the Laurent-Désiré Kabila Mausoleum, the People's Palace, the Central Bank, the Court House, the "Le Royal" building, the civil servants' city...
Day 8: Kilimani (the Mountain)
St. Leopold's parish was established in 1889 and was the first Catholic parish in the city. On this complex was built the major seminary John XXIII, as well as the first primary and professional school (1910).
Day 9: Mount Ngaliema
Steps: Kinshasa
The first hospital for whites was built not far from Mount Ngaliema. Today, the buildings are occupied by the municipal administration of Ngaliema. The hospital was moved to the present location of the Ngaliema Clinic after having been called the Elisabeth Clinic until 1972.
The caravan road, the cemetery of the pioneers, the Théâtre de Verdure, the Cité de l'Union africaine, the Institut des vusées nationaux du Congo, the colonial statues, the ethnographic collection...
MONT NGALIEMA
Day 10: Other historical monuments and sites
Steps: Kinshasa
The tomb of Chief Selembawu (under the baobab tree) in front of the Swiss embassy not far from GLM; the tomb of Chief Lungwala on Pumbu Street in the commune of Bandalungwa; the tomb of Chief Ngandu in Kimbanseke; the place du 4-Janvier (Martyrs de l'Indépendance); the monument of President Kasa-Vubu at the Kimpwaza traffic circle; the monument of Patrice E. Lumumba (Limete interchange); the Museum of Prehistory at theUniversity of Kinshasa (Lemba).
UNIVERSITÉ DE KINSHASA (UNIKIN)
How to get there - Matadi
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