I set about compiling 25 of the most striking digital images of Rossio through history because Lisbon is a city that fascinates me. Enjoy!
History of Rossio Square at a Glance:
- Rossio is the main square in Lisbon, Portugal. The streets from Lisbon’s downtown area radiate from this square. Lisbon’s downtown is called “Baixa” which literary mean “Low”.
- Rossio is an archaic Portuguese term meaning “commonly used terrain” and has always been a meeting place for Lisbon city dwellers. Fairs and markets were held here since Roman times, and in the sixteenth century it was also the setting for public executions by the Inquisition.
- In the Middle Ages, when Rossio began to be surrounded by buildings, it was known as Valverde, because that was the name of the Tagus River tributary that ran through it.
- The devastating Lisbon earthquakes of 1531 and of 1755 altered Rossio Square each time, as the buildings that surrounded it were reduced it to rubble.
- Rossio is also known as Praça D. Pedro IV, after the Portuguese king portrayed in the statue atop the tall pedestal at its centre.
Click here to learn more about Rossio Square in history from Wikipedia.
