Casa de Ferro

Casa de Ferro, better known as the Iron House, is a unique and historic building.  Prefabricated in Belgium by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) in 1892 and later brought to Mozambique. The purpose of the building was to be a workplace and residence for the Governor of the Portuguese colony. However, due to the absence of air-conditioning, the metal structure became almost impossible to work and live in. The building follows an irregular rectangular floor plan with three floors and a pitched roof.  The thin rectangular windows present the idea that Eiffel did not understand the Mozambique climate, as these did not help cool the inside of the building. Therefore this building was never used for its initial purpose.  Now it is only used as a tourist attraction, and to some visitors has been described as having a scary interior.