Home › Cities › Kinshasa

Old photos of Kinshasa

16 photographs of Kinshasa, from 1973 to 2024 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Kinshasa? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
Add your photo

What the photos show

The 16 photographs of Kinshasa on PlaceWas span 4 decades, from 1973 to 2024. 7 of them were taken before 1980; the other 9 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.1 spot was photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.16 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Kinshasa through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

EU: Straatbeeld in Kinshasa - boulevard (1973), Kinshasa — photos through time
EU: Straatbeeld in Kinshasa - boulevard (1973) 7 photos · 1973

Stories from Kinshasa

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Kinshasa, Kinshasa, 2007
Kinshasa 2007 A street-level scene in Kinshasa from 2007 captures daily life in the Congolese capital, one of the largest cities in sub-Saharan Africa, where the pace of the street often reflects the city's rapid, largely informal…
Kinshasa from the 16th floor, Kinshasa, 2007
Kinshasa from the 16th floor 2007 This 2007 photograph offers an elevated view over Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, taken from the sixteenth floor of a building in the city.
GOMBE.KINSHASA, Kinshasa, 2014
GOMBE.KINSHASA 2014 Gombe is the administrative and commercial heart of Kinshasa, sitting along the Congo River and home to many of the Democratic Republic of Congo's government ministries and foreign embassies.
Vue panoramique de la tour de l'Échangeur, Kinshasa, 2018
Vue panoramique de la tour de l'Échangeur 2018 A panoramic view over Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, taken from a road interchange tower in 2018. Kinshasa is one of the largest cities in Africa, sprawling along the Congo River.
Kinshasa, Kinshasa, 2020
Kinshasa 2020 A view of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, situated on the south bank of the Congo River. Photographed in 2020.
Kinshasa pendant la saison de pluie, Kinshasa, 2024
Kinshasa pendant la saison de pluie 2024 Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is shown during its rainy season in this 2024 photograph, when heavy downpours are frequent in the city.
Immeuble BCDC, Kinshasa, 2024
Immeuble BCDC 2024 The headquarters building of the Banque Commerciale Du Congo (BCDC), one of the country's major commercial banks, stands in Kinshasa in this 2024 photograph.
L’Hôtel du Gouvernement, Kinshasa, 2024
L’Hôtel du Gouvernement 2024 L'Hôtel du Gouvernement, a government office building in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is pictured in this 2024 photograph.
1970s · 7 photos
2000s · 2 photos
2010s · 3 photos
2020s · 4 photos