Presidential Palace, Bissau, Presidential palace at Praça dos Heróis Nacionais, Guinea-Bissau

The Presidential Palace, also called Palácio da República, is the building where the President of Guinea-Bissau officiates and includes the official residence. The palace complex covers 4,500 square metres with courtyards and gardens; the main building measures 1,171 square metres and the administrative buildings at the rear about 1,300 square metres, for 2,471 square metres of construction.

The palace was constructed in 1930 during the Portuguese colonial period and later became the seat of government after independence. Military conflict in the late 1990s caused severe structural damage, which prompted major restoration work decades later.

The palace is officially called Palácio da República and serves as the working seat of Guinea-Bissau's president. Its colonial-era structure was handed over by Portugal's last ambassador in the country, together with the scale model and descriptive record of the building. The 2013 restoration was carried out by Chinese cooperation over 18 months of technical work.

Visitors can view the building from the outside, but should expect strict security protocols that restrict photography and direct access to the structure. The best vantage point is from the opposite street, where the facade is clearly visible.

By 2012 the derelict palace was infested with bats, which roosted in its rooms until the Chinese-funded renovation of 2013 cleared them out. The same investment programme also paid for a 20,000-seat stadium and a new parliament building in Bissau.