LOMÉ PALACE
Long abandoned, the former Governors' Palace has been transformed into a cultural complex showcasing the best of African creativity. A pioneer in West Africa, this art and culture center offers a rich program of exhibitions, live shows (dance, storytelling, theater, concerts...), master classes and literary cafés. It also houses two restaurants, one of which is gourmet, a souvenir store and a bookstore.
The palace is surrounded by a magnificent botanical garden of 11 hectares, home to about 50,000 plants and 40 species of birds. It offers a pleasant journey through the diverse landscapes of Togo, punctuated by beautiful contemporary sculptures. There are also two beehives, containing two types of bees: Apis mellifera adansonii and melipona.
The old Governor's Palace was built from 1898 to 1905 under the technical direction of the German engineer Furtkamp, following the decision of Governor August Kohler - the one who established Lomé as the capital of Togo - to build a fairly representative palace that would be recognizable from a distance of a thousand kilometers in order to impress the ships. Used as the seat of the state until 1970, the palace was transformed into the "Palace of Distinguished Guests" from 1976 to 1991, then as the seat of the primacy in September 1991. It suffered damage as a result of the socio-political unrest of 1990-1991. The building is on the list of monuments proposed to the World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.