Addis Ababa’s newest big attraction, the Unity Park was opened in 2019 by Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Up until that point, most Ethiopians had never set foot within the grounds of Ethiopia’s National Palace, a secretive complex from which the country had been ruled for more than 130 years. Today, it contains a host of cultural attractions, including a small museum, a grand banquet hall and the former palace complex of Emperor Menelik II. There’s also a small zoo which contains rare black-maned lions that were once common across Ethiopia. Set high on a hill in the center of the city, it offers a sweeping panorama of Addis, plus something even rarer than an Abyssinian lion: green parkland within the city center.
Unity Park
Addis Ababa’s newest big attraction, the Unity Park was opened in 2019 by Nobel Peace Prize-winning Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Up until that point, most Ethiopians had never set foot within the grounds of Ethiopia’s National Palace, a secretive complex from which the country had been ruled for more than 130 years. Today, it contains a host of cultural attractions, including a small museum, a grand banquet hall and the former palace complex of Emperor Menelik II. There’s also a small zoo which contains rare black-maned lions that were once common across Ethiopia. Set high on a hill in the center of the city, it offers a sweeping panorama of Addis, plus something even rarer than an Abyssinian lion: green parkland within the city center.
