The tower
Narrowing upwards.
Fabio Vanin — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bryn Pinzgauer — CC BY 2.0 · Bryn Pinzgauer — CC BY 2.0 · Bryn Pinzgauer — CC BY 2.0 · Manuel Dohmen — CC BY-SA 3.0
The Agostinho Neto Memorial is a memorial complex in Luanda holding the tomb of Angola's first president, António Agostinho Neto. At its centre stands a tall, pointed concrete tower, one of the most striking features of the city skyline and visible from far away. A broad park and squares surround it, with an exhibition on Neto's life. Agostinho Neto was a doctor and poet who became the country's first president at independence in 1975, serving until his death in 1979. Work on the memorial began in the 1980s and continued for many years before it officially opened. The exhibition shows photographs, documents and personal objects, alongside a wall of bronze reliefs. You see a tall grey tower narrowing to its tip, ringed at the base by concrete wings on a wide platform. Paths, lawns and low walls lie before it. From nearby roads the tower rises between buildings and above the bay, a dark shape at sunset. It is about 2.3 km from central Luanda in a straight line and about 1.8 km from the Fortress of São Miguel. Entry is at set hours, so ask at the gate and follow photo rules.
Narrowing upwards.
Paths and lawns.
Neto's life.
Praia do Bispo, Luanda, Angola
A doctor and poet, and Angola's first president after independence.
Yes at set hours, so ask at the gate.
