Fodor's Expert Review Palácio de Ferro

History detectives who seek out this big yellow "Iron Palace" are rewarded with lots of mystery—mainly whether it was designed by Gustave Eiffel, creator of Paris's world-famous Eiffel Tower. No official records exist. Historians think the palace was pre-constructed in the 1890s in France then shipped by boat to Madagascar, then intercepted by the Portuguese, who nabbed the palace and put it in Luanda. More recently, it served as an art center, then was damaged during the Angolan Civil War and fell into disrepair. Restoration, including reclaimed iron balustrades and floor tiles, began in 2009.