National Palace (Ethiopia)

The National Palace is a palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is also known as the Jubilee Palace. The palace was built in 1955 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Emperor Haile Selassie. After a coup attempt in the Guenete Leul Palace in 1960, the Emperor made the Jubilee Palace his main residence. However, the seat of government remained at the Imperial Palace. The palace was expanded and doubled in size between 1966 and 1967.

The Jubilee Palace was the site of the dethronement of Emperor Haile Selassie in September 1974. Ten low ranking military officers appeared before the Emperor in the palace library and read him the statement of the Derg (military council), which officially removed him from the throne. The Derg renamed the Palace the "National Palace", which it still bears today. The Derg used this Palace for state ceremonies involving visiting heads of state, state banquets and receptions. The Derg added a swimming pool to the grounds. With the fall of the Derg, and the proclamation of the Federal Republic, the Jubilee Palace became the official residence of the President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The President has a ceremonial role and uses the palace for official functions.

The Ethiopian Government has announced its intention to build a new official presidential residence. The National Palace will then be opened as a museum. It will continue to house the President of the Republic until that time. The value of The Jubilee Palace is estimated at 1.5 billion US dollars.

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