Guide 1 2 Biodiversity in the City Century-Old Trees, Dragonflies, Owls and Bats
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The Tagus River, the trams, the pavement drawings, the GEOLOGY TECHNOLOGY neighbourhoods, the fountains… Is it possible to explain the beauty of Lisbon? Perhaps not the beauty, but all the 14 5 rest you can. This is the first in a series of guides that intends to take a scientific look at the city. Next titles: Guide 1 2 Biodiversity in the City Century-old trees, dragonflies, owls and bats. A look at the biodiversity of Lisbon. 3 Places of knowledge The places and institutions related to the history of ENGINEERING ASTRONOMY science in Lisbon. 4 6 IN LISBON: 4 Tastes of the City Discover the physics and chemistry behind the pastéis DISCOVERING de Belém or the traditional ginjinha. LIOZ LIMESTONE FUNICULARS 5 Rocks and hills ASTRONOMY METEOROLOGY How were the hills and valleys of Lisbon formed? SCIENCE AND 11 Churches, palaces, fountains, the Lisbon is built on more than seven hills 7 Pavilion of Knowledge – Ciência Viva Monastery of the Jerónimos and the and the nature of the terrain has Situated in the Parque das Nações in Lisbon, the Belém Tower, as well as the arcades at always made it difficult to access the TECHNOLOGY Pavilion of Knowledge – Ciência Viva is the largest interactive science and technology centre in Portugal. the Terreiro do Paço, Rossio Station city’s high areas. The Lavra Funicular Great thematic exhibitions and hundreds of interactive and modern constructions like the was the first to be built in 1884, linking exhibits encourage visitors of all ages to explore and THE GREAT LEGAL TIME WANDERING experiment the physical world. Physics, mathematics, Pavilion of Knowledge. Lisbon is a rare the Av. da Liberdade to Campo de technology and other areas of knowledge are spread 2 and beautiful micro-universe that Santana, followed by the funiculars of over an area of more than 11000m , where science joins EMBANKMENT Do you want to set your watch? up with emotion and the pleasure of discovery. showcases the use of a rare stone – lioz Gloria (1885, linking the Av. da Set it by the Cais do Sodré. A long time THE STREETS Workshops, conferences and other activities make this place a house of science for everybody. The Great Embankment, known as limestone. It is a type of compact Liberdade to Bairro Alto) and Bica before radio signals and satellite Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday (10 p.m. – 6 p.m.), SUNDIALS limestone, with abundant fossils, that (1892, linking the riverside area to THE LIGHT OF LISBON weekends and bank holidays (11 p.m. – 7 p.m.) Aterro da Boa Vista, was one of the positioning systems (GPS), the ships Underground and train: Oriente Bus: No. 28. largest public works carried out by the was formed around 97 million years Bairro Alto). At first, all these that docked at the port of Lisbon Almost a century ago, the collective ago (Cenomanian – Cretaceous) in an funiculars used a rack-and-pinion and Poets, painters, locals and foreigners in Texts by Fernando Correia de Oliveira. With the Portuguese in the 19th Century. relied on the time broadcasted from time for Lisbon residents was general all feel the charm of the light of collaboration of Nuno Crato (ISEG–UTL), Isabel It immediately became a place for locals area of shallow sea with warm, clear water counterweight system. land for setting their on-board Moitinho de Almeida (CeGUL– FCUL), José Pedro measured by sundials that were Lisbon. They feel, talk about and Granadeiro and Ireneia Melo (MNHN–UL), Maria João to take a stroll. Work was begun in 1855 water that stimulated the proliferation Each car had a water tank that was chronometers, with which they could Alcoforado (CEG–UL), António Lamas (IST–UTL). connected to small pieces of artillery. photograph it at all times of the day and on this construction that stretched from of organisms with calcium carbonate filled on the top of the street and calculate their longitude at sea. Photography by Daniel Espírito Santo, iStockphoto Around midday, when the sun reached in many different places. There are no (Jacarandá) and Romica Barb (Lioz). Cais do Sodré to Alcântara, which was a skeletons. Look carefully at its texture: emptied on the bottom, in a way that With the aim of displaying the Legal its highest point in the sky, a lens scientific studies yet but, empirically, it product of the land that was reclaimed the parts that look like pockmarks on the difference in weight made the Time to the city and, specifically, to the focussed the light to set off a fuse, can be said that, as the city is right next from the river. The rocks used in the first glance are actually pieces of system work. Frequent water ships anchored in the river, a clock which in turn fired a gun. In this way, to the Atlantic, the north wind construction of the port are from local fossilised shell belonging to organisms shortages lead to the use of steam tower was constructed in 1914 in Cais João Fazenda Lisbon residents were able to set their frequently sweeps away any pollution at quarries, such as the fossil rich that lived millions of years ago. engines and, later, to the electrification do Sodré. This tower was fitted with a illustration watches to solar time. There are still the end of the afternoon, clearing the air. miocenic limestones from the quarries Underground Oriente of the systems. All the funiculars were mechanical clock, connected by a few sundials in Lisbon, such as the There is also the immense body of of Marvila. The old riverside path that designed by the Portuguese engineer electric cable to the Astronomical silva!designers vertical example on the cathedral. water lying at the city’s feet – the river went from Rua de S. Paulo to Calçada Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard. Observatory in Tapada da Ajuda. This had to be wedged in order to be Tagus. When its water is calm, it reflects de Marquês de Abrantes is still Tram 28. Underground Baixa-Chiado The tower was linked to a system that correctly orientated towards south, an immense amount of light. But the reminded by the name of the street stretched along the coast as far as allowing the hour-lines to be displayed greatest reflection effect is caused by Escadinhas da Praia (Beach Stairs), Belém, lighting up the time for any symmetrically. The style (or gnomon) the houses with clear-coloured façades in Santos. It was an area of swampy vessel anchored in the river. In 2009, has the inclination of the latitude, that are arranged in an amphitheatre beaches and a series of epidemics that a quartz clock was linked to the being parallel to the Earth’s axis. shape. When and where is best to had spread through this area Observatory’s network of atomic This allows it to measure the solar admire Lisbon’s light? There are those encouraged the great construction. clocks through a Network Time hours during the entire year. who prefer the end of the afternoon, and Tram 15. Underground Cais do Sodré Protocol (NTP), to guarantee the Another horizontal example can be those who believe that the magic has a exactness of the Legal Time. found opposite the Jerónimos greater effect at dawn, and many think Tram 28. Underground Cais do Sodré Monastery, and its gnomon is an anchor. that the best place to appreciate Lisbon’s Tram 28 light is the other side of the river. Tram Baixa-Chiado URBANISM ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY HYDRAULICS COSMOLOGY IN LISBON: DISCOVERING WANDERING 10 13 12 3 1 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THE STREETS GEOGRAPHY 2 MATHEMATICS 9 BAIXA POMBALINA RIVER TAGUS TRAMS FOUNTAINS ARMILLARY SPHERE After the earthquake of 1755, the ESTUARY The yellow tram cars which are able to At first glance, the fact that Lisbon Found all over the city on historical and reconstruction of the so-called Baixa navigate through narrow, steep and always suffered water shortages right modern buildings alike, this image is a PRIME MERIDIAN Pombalina neighbourhood took place. It is a surprising sight for most winding streets are one of the city’s up until the end of the 20th Century constant reminder of a certain In this area of almost 23.5 ha, some foreigners, but even the locals are not so defining features. The tram system seems absurd, especially considering Portugal. We refer to the Armillary Along with other European nations, of the technical improvements used to seeing flamingos on the River evolved from the “American” cars that it is right next to the river Tagus, Sphere, a sphere with rings that is used BOTANY PORTUGUESE Portugal adopted Mean Solar Time at introduced were large, two-way streets Tagus. Its estuary is the biggest of its pulled by horses. In 1900 the aerial but the effect of the tide is felt a long as a representation of the Universe. 8 the beginning of the 19th Century arranged in blocks, the first public kind in Western Europe, with around cables and new railroads were way up the river, making its water salty. The Earth occupies the central PAVING (24-hour long days, when in fact the sewage network in the country and 34 thousand hectares, and one of the installed and the “Geradora” was built Besides that, the whole city area lacks position, according to the Ptolemaic length of a day varies slightly by 16 min firewalls. The foundations are made most important areas of wetlands in – a coal thermoelectric power plant sources of drinking water. A new vision of the cosmos. The main Art and science literally right under more or 14 min less during the course of pinewood props, permanently Europe.