Guys, lets go with the other leg of my series ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐จ๐ง ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ยฎ๏ธ(๐ here) Today I will show you around the very very historical center of the city, i.e the ๐ฝ๐๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐๐ค๐. As I wrote in the first part of these series, the attractions in Lisbon are not ordered by priority but randomly and all pics are taken randomly from my Lisbon collection as well. I used to live in this city for about two years starting from the last months of 2019.
The center of cultural and social life in any city is the square. This huge, historical square, located at the very very heart of the city, right next to the banks of Tegus river, displays beautiful works of art and sculpture, and is a great place for a leisurely stroll.
I am going to start my walk at the Commercial Square. It's a beautiful place, a great front entrance to the center of Lisbon. The thing I like the most is that these U-shaped buildings around the square are divided and the one side of the square is actually the Tejo river embankment.
As we know, in the 15th-19th centuries Portugal was a large colonial empire. The square was the administrative center of this vast system, through which Portugal controlled its colonies in Africa, Asia and America, regulated trade with other countries, etc.
It is also commonly known in Portuguese as Terreiro do Paco (English: Palace Yard), that was destroyed by the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake. After the earthquake the square was completely rebuilt and became the site of many Portuguese ministries, institutions and government departments.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎรง๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐บรฉ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ผ
The square is quite impressive for its size, the nice monumental buildings and its amazing view of the Tagus River! I highly advise you to enter the square beforehand by walking through the arch- you will have a long lasting memories of that. But further down in my post I will provide you with some more details about that.
In the very center of the square stands another "man on horseback", as I call this type of monument. The man is King Jose ๐ผ of Portugal ( the same one that ruled alongside with Marquis of Pombal, there will be another series about this guy). By the way, there is info on the monument saying: "This bronze monument, the only one dedicated to the King of Lisbon".
๐๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ
The most impressive structure of the square is the Arch of Augustus. The vast arch is topped by a seven-metre tall figure of Glory, holding wreaths over Courage with a helmet bearing the symbols of the then ruling dynasty and over Inventiveness, next to which are symbols of art and culture. Below them are the coat of arms of Portugal and statues of great Portugueses, notably the Marquis of Pombal, and Vasque da Gama. On the sides are symbolic statues of Portugal,s main rivers: the Tagus and the Douro.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐พ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ
There is an opportunity to climb the iconic Arch, and the views of the square are excellent.
๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ
The medieval Baixa was entirely destroyed by the catastrophic Lisbon earthquake of 1755. During the reconstruction of the city, Baixa was rebuilt from the ground up according to a single plan.
The chaotic medieval street labyrinth was largely replaced by a network of straight and wide streets of a strict rectangular layout, one of Europe's first examples of this kind of urban approach.
Due to the simultaneous construction of all the buildings Baixa is distinguished by a single architectural style, this style was later named Pombalino in honor of Baron Pombal, who managed the reconstruction. Moreover, Baixa was one of the first examples in history of the construction of an entire district, taking into account the earthquake resistance of buildings. Baixa is arguably the area most popular with tourists in Lisbon and has a wide variety of stores, cafes and souvenir shops.
๐ฅ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ฎ / ๐บ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐
Lisbon's major pedestrian street and its commerce heart. It was laid out after a major earthquake in 1755 and is composed mainly of neoclassical buildings with ornate facades, and its completion is the monumental Arch of Triumph. The promenade is tiled with basalt, marble and sandstone tiles that create three-dimensional patterns.
Rua Augusta is a large and outdoor, generally a commercial promenade leading from Praca Rossio to Praca do Commercio. It is like a 10 - minute walk. Today, Rua Augusta is also home of restaurants and cafes, but what I like best is the typical, traditional sidewalk and the Arch.
The Arch of Triumph is another wow factor. As you approach down the road to the river a gleaming white triumphal arch looms in the distance. It is the splendid gateway to the Praca do Comercio. It is a very imposing sight.
This is a top bustling part of Lisbon, and the architectural framing of the street is stunning. Explore the area by day and by night to get a feel for the diverse vibe.
๐๐น๐ฒ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ฎ
The Santa Justa elevator is one of the symbols of the city center. It connects this area with the above located borrows, the Chiado district. One of the two historic elevators Elevador de Santa Justa, you can go up to the observation deck, which offers a very favorable panorama of the cityscape. It was built in the beginning of the 20 th century. It is a 45 meter neo Gothic structure. The machinery was originally powered by steam before the introduction of the electric motor. It is the only historic elevator in Lisbon that moves vertically. The other elevators can be attributed to the funiculars, they are just the kinda city trams. By design, the elevator is often compared to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
I got to know that the rumors say that it has never been broken down.
๐ฅ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ
Rua Augusta leads to Rossio Square. Many people begin their acquaintance with the city from this square- one of the metro stations is located here and from here you can easily reach many attractions of the historic center on foot.
In the center of Rossio, on a majestic column, stands the statue of Pedro ๐ผ๐, the 28th king of Portugal and the first emperor of Brazil. The four female figures on its pedestal represent justice, wisdom, strength and frugality, virtues the sculptor believed the king possessed.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎรง๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ
Next to Rossio Square is Lisbon's other large and popular square, Figueira. A public square in the heart of the Portuguese capital. It is also smaller in size than the other squares nearby. From this square you can enjoy a great panoramic view of St. George's Castle. The buildings around Figueira are packed with hotels, shops, cafes.
A statue of the king was erected on the square in 1971. It depicts the ruler sitting on a horse, dressed in knightly armor. King John ๐ผ was nicknamed the Good or Great King.
He promoted the independence of the country from the Kingdom of Castile. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the region. The monument depicts the king as a warrior.
The square is also important because the trams to Belem depart from here.
There will be a separate post about Belem, as it is the must visit place located in the outskirts of the city.
๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ข๐น๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐
These quaint and old trams are the one of the top Lisbon landmarks and of course they are a great experience for your visit and a cool way to ride up and down the hills of Lisbon.
Lisbon is very fortunate to boast such a well-thought-out public transport network. It will be easy to get around once you get the hang of it, and you need to get the transport viva viagem card, it's for sure a good value for the money.
It is an iconic means of travel in Lisbon that you should try at least once when you are in Lisbon.
๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ป / ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ
A few shots of the streets from April 2020 when the lockdown was in full force.
This was the most boring and wasted time while in Lisbon, but on the other side I became 24/7 crypto.
So of course, then I should be grateful for that ))
๐ถ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ป๐๐๐
You can see at the background the Castle of St. Jorge.
Rua Augusta- otherwise the most buzzing street in the city.
๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ๐ / ๐๐ถ๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฎ ๐ ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐
The city is famous with its panoramic vantage points. I have been visiting them countless times, in different seasons, at sunrise and at sunset and at dusk, but never ceased to be amazed by the city from above. Here you can see the city center from different perspectives. I hope you will enjoy them!
You can experience amazing sunsets in faraway corners of the world or even in your backyard, but the scenery here is simply unbelievable. I admire it!
๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐๐: ๐ถ๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐๐โ๐ก๐ , ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ!
๐ฝ๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐ก ๐ข๐:
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐๐ข๐โ ๐กโ๐ โ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐!
๐โ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ก โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐ก๐๐๐, ๐๐๐โ๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ โ๐๐๐๐ก ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ -๐๐ก'๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ๐คโ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐คโ๐๐โ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐.
๐ป๐๐โ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ก!
