Main Square of the Civic and Administrative Centre (former Marcello Caetano Square)

Main Square of the Civic and Administrative Centre (former Marcello Caetano Square)

Kuíto/Cuíto [Silva Porto/Belmonte], Bié, Angola

Equipment and Infrastructures

The square forms a wide, irregular polygon: a landscaped rectangle with a shallow pond along its length and, separated by the large, two-way avenue that crosses the city from north to south, a trapezium-shaped area which draws the eye towards the Town Hall with the Bank of Angola to the left and the District Government building (now Provincial Government) to the right. At the centre of the trapezium stood the monument with a statue of Silva Porto which was transferred to the former residence of the backwoodsman after 1975. The three buildings repeat the neo-classical model of similar buildings in Angola. The former Government Palace (Provincial Government), with its central pediment over a balcony-like structure follows classical lines but in the neo-traditional model of the Estado Novo. The other two buildings mentioned above, although of simpler design, are in the same style. The architectural composition of the ensemble reveals that there was an overall design project. After severe damage incurred during the civil war, all the buildings have recently been rebuilt or restored.

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