Marquês De Pombal Square

T O U R I S T G U I D E www.coffeetimetour.com @coffeetimetourlisbon Coffee Time Tour Lisbon “You have to taste a culture to understand it” Deborah Cater 2 PRAÇA DOS RESTAURADORES The square is characterized by the high obelisk, 30 meters high, called “Monumento dos Restauradores” and was inaugurated on April 28, 1886, celebrating the liberation of the country from the Spanish rule on December 1st, 1640. The bronze figures of the pedestal represent the victory, with a palm and a crown, and Liberty. 3 The names and dates on the sides of the obelisk are those of the battles of the Restoration War. 4 AVENIDA DA LIBERDADE Avenida da Liberdade is one of the main avenues of the city of Lisbon, which connects Restauradores Square to Marquês de Pombal Square. About 90 m wide and 1100 m long, it has several lanes and wide walks decorated with gardens and Portuguese sidewalk. There are still statues of famous portuguese writers such as Almeida Garrett, Alexandre Herculano or António Feliciano de Castilho. Avenida da Liberdade and Praça dos Restauradores have their origins in the boulevard called “Passeio Público”, from 1764, and created by the architect Reinaldo Manuel. 5 After much controversy, the Avenue was built between 1879 and 1886, in the image of the boulevards of Paris. Its creation was a landmark in the expansion of the city to the north, and quickly became a reference for the wealthier classes to locate their homes. Many of the original Avenida’s buildings have been replaced in recent decades by office buildings and hotels. Its scenic qualities, prestigious shops, hotels, theaters and historic buildings make it an important landmark of the city. It is considered the 35th most expensive avenue in the world. Avenida da Liberdade is still the main stage of the traditional parades of the city festivals. 6 MARQUÊS DE POMBAL Marquês de Pombal, was born in 1699 and was responsible for major architectural changes in the city of Lisbon. He was minister to King Dom José (who gave him the titles of Marquis of Pombal and Count of Oeiras) between 1750 and 1777. In 1755 there was an earthquake accompanied by a tsunami and fire in Lisbon, which destroyed almost all of the city, mainly the downtown area. 7 Marquês of Pombal, became famous, because it was him who managed the rebuilt of the city, taking very important measures at the architectural level. He turned to “Baixa”, which before the earthquake was totally disorganized, and planned it to be rebuilt in a planned and methodical way. The streets became wider and paved with the beautiful Portuguese sidewalk, making them perpendicular and parallel to each other. The city had it’s first sewer system, and among the buildings, which all had the same height, walls were placed to prevent the spread of the flames in the event of a fire. The walls of the houses now have a wooden anti- sismical structure called cage (pombaline cage). Between these and other measures, they had the birth of “Baixa Pombalina”! 8 ROSSIO Rossio Square is officially called D. Pedro IV Square. and was built after the earthquake of 1755. Rossio Square is one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Lisbon. For more than six centuries it has been the scene of several important events in the history of Lisbon. Through it have already passed bullfights, festivals, military acts and even the acts-of-faith of the Inquisition. The great central statue, named after the Square, was inaugurated in 1870 and represents D. Pedro IV (also known as D Pedro I, the first independent emperor of Brazil). This monument has 27.5 meters! At the base of the pedestal are four female figures symbolizing Justice, Prudence, Strength and Moderation, qualities that are attributed to D. Pedro. At the top, D. Pedro is depicted wearing a general’s uniform, shoulders covered by royal cloak and a crowned head of laurels. In Rossio Square there is still “Café Nicola”, one of the first cafés in Lisbon. 9 The Nicola was a meeting place for writers, being considered the second house of the poet Bocage. Another icon of this square is the traditional Rossio florists, which occupy the south side of the square. On the opposite side is the National Theater D. Maria II, inaugurated in 1846, with the name of the daughter of D. Pedro. An interesting fact is that in the same place where the Theater is already functioning, used to be the Inquisition Court, which was ruined with the earthquake of 1755. The two monumental fountains on the sides of the statue represent mythological figures and have a French influence. They were added to Rossio Square in 1889, replacing two wells that existed on the spot. 10 PRAÇA DO COMÉRCIO Praça do Comércio, also known as “Terreiro do Paço”, is one of the largest squares in Europe with about 36,000 m² (180m x 200m). This square is located at the downtown of Lisboa and has direct access to the Tagus River “Rio Tejo” through the “Cais das Colunas”. This square served countless times as the noble entry to the capital; the illustrious ones having stepped on the marble steps of the “Cais das Colunas”. This square was for two centuries the royal palace of Portugal, namely the “Paço da Ribeira”, which was destroyed in the earthquake of 1755. In 1755, “Paço da Ribeira” is destroyed by the earthquake, as well as its extensive library with more than 70 thousand volumes. 11 The reconstruction of the palace became a key element of the Marquês de Pombal plan. The buildings, which surround the square, now host the headquarters of some of the Portuguese Government Ministries. In the center of the square, one can see the equestrian statue of D. José, built in 1775 by Joaquim Machado de Castro, the main Portuguese sculptor of the XVIII century. On the north side of the square is the Triumphal Arch of Augusta Street, the noble entrance to downtown. With the Republican Revolution of 1910, the square was painted Republican pink. Later the buildings of the square would be painted again with their original color, yellow. 12 CAIS DO SODRÉ The designations of “Cais do Sodré” and “Praça dos Remolares” were common for a long time, before the statue of the Duke of Terceira was built in 1877. Known as “remolares”, because it was in the past, a place for workers carpenters of oars, denominated of tugboats. In 1906, the “Regulador” clock was built, which for many years, marked the legal hour of Lisbon. 13 MERCADO DA RIBEIRA Lisbon was always a city of merchants. In the streets, a little of everything could be bought from street vendors. With the discoveries, in the sixteenth century, and the rise of merchants, there began to be a concern to rearrange the city and place the merchants in specific places. Thus, “Ribeira Velha” Market was born, which was located in front of the “Casa dos Bicos”. After the 1755 earthquake, King Dom José I ordered the construction of the “Ribeira Nova” Market, now part of the “Ribeira” Market. Initially, the market was composed of huts and sheds, and where mainly fish was sold. It has suffered several changes over the years, until in 1882, when it gained the form that it presents today, being the space used by the sellers of fish, vegetables and flowers that supplied the city of Lisbon. 14 At this moment the market also hosts theme fairs, dances and a quite extensive restaurants area. 15 CRISTO REI The statue of Christ the Redeemer, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, inspired, in 1934, during a visit to that city by the Cardinal-Patriarch of Lisbon, Mons. Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira, to build a similar monument in Lisbon. In the year 1936, he transmitted this idea to the Movement of the Apostleship of Prayer with an enthusiastic reception. The monument to Christ the King was also built in fulfillment of a vow formulated by the Portuguese episcopate assembled at Fatima on April 20, 1940, asking God to free Portugal from participating in World War II. Prime Minister Salazar did not want to violate the old friendship with the United Kingdom, which dates from the 14th century, and preferred to remain neutral, and Portugal did not participate in the war. 16 The first stone of the monument’s construction was launched on December 18th, 1949, after the end of the war. It was inaugurated on May 17th, 1959, the day of “Pentecostes”, in the presence of about 300 thousand people. The Cristo Rei National Sanctuary is located at an altitude of 133 meters above the level of the Tagus River “Rio Tejo”, and is made up of a portico, 75 meters high, surmounted by the statue of the Holy Redeemer with open arms facing the city of Lisbon, with 28 meters of height, work of the Portuguese sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa. This monument is the best viewpoint overlooking the city of Lisbon, offering a wide view over the capital. 17 PONTE 25 DE ABRIL The “25 de Abril” Bridge is a suspension bridge on the Tagus River “Rio Tejo” that connects the city of Lisbon (north bank) to the city of Almada (south bank). The bridge crosses the Tagus River “Rio Tejo” in the final and narrowest part - the “Tejo” bottleneck. The project of this bridge is similar to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco (USA), and was structurally conceived ahead of it’s time, with the calculations made to later on support the addition of the train that exists today.

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