Butare Town – is the original capital of Rwanda and still its cultural centre. It was also the largest and most important city in Rwanda prior to 1965 when it lost out to more centrally located Kigali. Today the site of several academic institutions, including the country's largest university, Butare is still considered the intellectual and cultural pulse of Rwanda. It also has an impressive royal palace as well as an absorbing national museum.
The most prominent tourist attraction in Butare is the superb National Museum, which houses perhaps the finest ethnographic collection in East Africa. Absorbing displays of traditional artifacts are illuminated by a fascinating selection of turn-of-the-century monochrome photographs, providing insight not only into pre-colonial lifestyles and history, but also into the subsequent development of Rwanda into the current present modern African state.
The cultural significance of Butare is further underlined by a visit to nearby Nyabisinu, formerly known as Nyanza, the traditional seat of Rwanda's feudal monarchy. The impressive Royal Palace at Nyanza, an enormous domed construction made entirely of traditional materials, has been painstakingly restored to its 19th century state is now maintained as a cultural historical museum.
Why Visit Butare Town, Central Rwanda.
- Visit the original capital of Rwanda.
- Visit a town that is now synonymous with academics having the country's largest university.
- Learn about Rwanda's rich cultural history.
- Visit the National Museum which houses perhaps the finest ethnographic collection in East Africa.
- Visit the impressive Royal Palace at Nyanza, an enormous domed construction made entirely of traditional materials now a cultural historical museum.
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