Adwa Victory Memorial Museum

The Adwa Victory Memorial Museum is in Piassa, in the centre of Addis Ababa. It remembers the victory of Ethiopia over the Italian army at Adwa in 1896. The memorial was inaugurated on 11 February 2024. It opened to the public on 16 March 2024.

What to see

The complex has eleven blocks and five floors. It has four entrances. Each entrance carries the name of the heroes of one part of the country: the south, the north, the east and the west. Statues of Emperor Menelik II and Empress Taytu stand near the plaza and the fountain. The supports of the corridors and the stairs use shapes from Aksum and Lalibela.

Inside there is a museum, an art gallery, an exhibition centre, a library, meeting halls and an amphitheatre. The displays show weapons, objects and works of art about the battle. A bridge joins the memorial to the office of the mayor.

Getting there

The memorial is in Piassa, next to the City Hall and a short walk from Menelik II Square and St George Cathedral.

Good to know

Allow one and a half hours. Tomoca has a coffee shop at the memorial. The entrance and the car park have wheelchair access. In the first month after it opened, 31,750 people visited.