The old rail bridge crossing the Catumbela River is a tangible piece of one of Africa's great engineering stories. The Benguela Railway (Caminho de Ferro de Benguela) was built in the early 20th century to connect the Atlantic coast at Lobito with the copper-mining regions of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, passing through Catumbela on its way inland. After decades of closure during Angola's civil war, sections of the line were rehabilitated. The bridge itself, restored as part of post-war reconstruction, is a good vantage point for views up and down the river.
Benguela Railway Bridge
A story
The Benguela Railway was once called the "lifeline of central Africa." Built between 1903 and 1929 with largely forced African labour, it connected the Atlantic port at Lobito to the copper mines of the Belgian Congo over 1,350 km of track through some of the continent's most difficult terrain. At its peak it was one of the most profitable railways in Africa; the civil war closed it for decades, and restoration only began in earnest in the 2000s.