Butare


Butare, also known as Huye, is a city in the Southern Province of Rwanda and capital of Huye district.

History

The Belgian colonial rulers established it in the 1920s and named the city Astrida, in honor of Queen Astrid of Belgium, Its name was changed after Rwanda gained independence in 1962.

Education

The University of Rwanda Butare campus was founded in 2013. Before that, the Butare campus went by the name of National University of Rwanda subsequent its foundation in 1963. Due to the large number of university students and student-centered activities in the city, Butare is often regarded as a university city. It also held the Nyakibanda Seminary and the Rwandan National Institute of Scientific Research.
The city of Butare has long been regarded as the intellectual capital of the country, while Kigali holds most political power.
The Groupe Scolaire Officiel de Butare is the largest secondary school in Rwanda.

Culture

The Ethnographic Museum was built in the early 1990s and is a source of information on the cultural history of the country and the region.

Places of worship

Among the places of worship, they are predominantly Christian churches and temples : Roman Catholic Diocese of Butare,, Province of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Union of Baptist Churches in Rwanda, Assemblies of God. There are also Muslim mosques.

Transportation

The city is served by Butare Airport, a small civilian airport, administered by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority.