Casa de Ferro – Maputo, Mozambique - Atlas Obscura
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Casa de Ferro

Maputo, Mozambique

This prefabricated building was built in Belgium and shipped to Mozambique but was never inhabited, since its iron exterior was unsuitable for the tropical environment.  

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Iron House in Maputo Alexander Leisser / CC BY-SA 4.0
Left: Iron House in Maputo Alexander Leisser / CC BY-SA 4.0
Right: Rene Calusen Nielsen (Creative Commons)
Rene Calusen Nielsen (Creative Commons)
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The iron house was built in Belgium in 1892 and is said to have been designed by Gustave Eiffel or one of his associates. The house was built for the then-governor of Mozambique, but the politician never actually used it due to the hot climate. (Another iron house can be found in Iquitos, Peru, also supposedly designed by Eiffel.)

Over the years, the iron house has been used for a number of different government offices. Currently, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism uses the house. It is free to visit and is located next to the Maputo Botanical Garden.  

metal architectural oddities architecture
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Published
July 3, 2024
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