Congo 100 Francs banknote 1961 President Joseph Kasavubu
National Bank of Congo - Banque Nationale du Congo
Obverse: Portrait of President Joseph Kasavubu at left, two crowned cranes at right. African landscape with bridge over the river Tshopo at the background.
Reverse: View of the Palace of the Nation (Palais de la Nation), Kinshasa.
Printed by Thomas de la Rue & Company Limited, London, England.
Congo Republic Banknotes
1961-1964 Issue
20 Francs 50 Francs 100 Francs 500 Francs 1000 Francs
Palace of the Nation
The Palace of the Nation (French; Palais de la Nation) is a building in Gombe, Kinshasa which since 2001 serves as the official residence of the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The palais was originally built in 1956 to a design by Marcel Lambrichs, as the official residence of the colonial Governor-General. It is located in the north of Kinshasa, on the banks of the Congo River.
After Congolese independence from Belgium in 1960, the Palais became a symbol of the new state. The official ceremonies surrounding independence, including Patrice Lumumba's speech denouncing colonialism, took place in the palais on 30 June. It briefly served as the seat of the Congolese parliament, now based in the Palais du Peuple, after independence.
Following the restoration of the Congo after the fall of Mobutu Sese Seko, the mausoleum of Laurent-Désiré Kabila was built in front of the palace.