What to see in Addis Ababa, a journey to discover the city from the large avenues, neighborhoods, main attractions and itinerary with all the places of interest to visit.
Tourist information
Capital of Ethiopia rises about 2400 m. s.l.m. in a basin of the Ethiopian Acrocoro, at the foot of Mount Entoto, 3200 m., where the emperor Menelik II founded the city in 1889, giving it the name of Addis Ababa, which in Italian means New Flower.
The Ghebì, the emperor's palace, was built in a dominant position, many eucalyptus trees were planted, still visible for the most part today, and the first permanent inhabited settlement arose in the valley.
From this period ancient residences remain, almost all in a state of neglect, the Cathedral of San Giorgio, a Coptic Orthodox church whose construction, completed in 1911, was commissioned by Menelik to commemorate Adua's victory over the Italians in 1896, and the railway for Djibouti inaugurated in 1917 by Empress Zewditu I, daughter of Menelik II.
With the Italian occupation since 1937, an urban development plan was planned, which remained partially unfinished, and the urban planning projects subsequent to this era were never fully implemented.
What see
Despite everything, this immense and chaotic African metropolis, which welcomes people belonging to various nationalities, has its own structure with large avenues, is full of trees and is characterized by a mixture of buildings.
The palaces, the beautiful residences and the representative buildings rise everywhere together with the barracks, its vast and chaotic market, known by the name of Merkato, has stalls equipped with products of all kinds, the museums offer interesting exhibitions and there is no shortage of beautiful architectures religious to visit.
In addition to the Cathedral of San Giorgio, there is another important church in the capital, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, which houses the tombs of Emperor Hailé Selassié and his wife Menen Asfaw, as well as splendid murals.
Very interesting is the National Museum of Ethiopia, which preserves among its main attractions, two casts of Lucy, a fossil hominid dating back to about 3 million years ago, an ancient ancestor of ours whose skeleton, almost complete, is preserved in the archives of the museum.
The Ethnographic Museum of Addis Ababa is dedicated to the various ethnic groups of the country and is located in the building of the imperial house of Hailé Selassié.
It should be remembered that the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa is located in Addis Ababa.
