Lisbon (Lisboa, )
is the capital and largest city
of Portugal
.
It is
considered an alpha global city and is
the seat of the district of
Lisbon
and the main city of the Lisbon region. Its municipality, which matches the
city proper excluding the larger continuous conurbation, has a
municipal population of 564,477 in , while the Lisbon Metropolitan Area in total
has around 2.8 million inhabitants, and 3.34 million people live in
the broader agglomeration of Lisbon Metropolitan Region (includes
cities ranging from Leiria to Setúbal
).
Due to its
economic output,
standard of living, and
market size, the
Grande Lisboa (Greater Lisbon) subregion is
considered the second most important
financial and
economic centre
in the Iberian Peninsula.
The Lisbon
region is the wealthiest region in Portugal and it is
well above the European Union's
GDP per capita average – it produces
37% of the Portuguese GDP. It is also the political
centre of the country, as seat of
government and residence of the
Head of State.
The city was under
Roman rule from
205 BC, when it was already a 1000 year old town.
Julius Caesar made it a municipium called
Felicitas Julia, adding to the name
Olissipo.
Ruled by a series of
Germanic
tribes from the 5th century, it was captured by
Moors in the 8th century.
In 1147, the Crusaders under Afonso Henriques reconquered the city
for the Christians and
since then it has been a major political, economic and cultural
center of Portugal. Unlike most capital cities, Lisbon's
status as the capital of Portugal has never been granted or
confirmed officially – by
statute or in
written form. Its position as the capital has formed through
constitutional
convention, making its position as
de
facto capital a part of the
Constitution of Portugal.
Lisbon hosts two
agencies
of the European Union, namely, the
European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and the
European Maritime Safety
Agency (EMSA).
The Community of Portuguese Language
Countries
(CPLP), is also headquartered in
Lisbon.
Geography and location
Location
Lisbon is situated at 38°42' north, 9°5' west, making it the
westernmost capital in mainland Europe.
It is located in the
west of the country, on the Atlantic Ocean
coast at the point where the river Tagus
flows into the Atlantic Ocean.
The city occupies an area of . The city boundaries, unlike those of
most major cities, are narrowly defined around the historical city
perimeter.
This gave rise to the existence of several
administratively defined cities around Lisbon, such as Amadora
, Queluz, Agualva-Cacém
, Odivelas, Loures
, Sacavém
, Almada
, Barreiro, Seixal
and Oeiras
, which are in fact part of the metropolitan
perimeter of Lisbon.
The
western side of the city is mainly occupied by the Monsanto
Forest Park
, one of the largest urban parks in Europe with an
area close to 10 square kilometres
(almost 4 sq mi).
History
Neolithic era to the Roman Empire
During the
Neolithic the region was
inhabited by
Iberian-related peoples, who
also lived in other regions of
Atlantic
Europe at the time. They built religious monuments called
megaliths.
Dolmens
and
menhirs still survive in the countryside
around the city.
The
Indo-European Celts invaded after the
first millennium BC and intermarried
with the
Pre-Indo-European
population, giving a rise to Celtic-speaking local tribes such as
the Cempsi.
Archaeological findings suggest that some
Phoenician
influence existed in the place since 1200 BC,
leading some historians to the theory that a Phoenician trading
post might have occupied the centre of the present city, on the
southern slope of the Castle hill. The magnificent
harbour provided by the estuary of the river
Tagus
made it an ideal spot for a settlement to provide
foodstuffs to Phoenician ships travelling to the tin islands (modern Isles of Scilly
) and Cornwall
.
The new city might have been named
Allis Ubbo or
"safe harbor" in Phoenician, according to one of several theories
for the origin of its name. Another theory is that it took its name
from the pre-Roman name of the River Tagus,
Lisso or
Lucio.
Besides sailing to the North, the Phoenicians might also have taken
advantage of a settlement at the mouth of Iberia's largest river to
trade with the inland tribes for valuable metals. Other important
local products were
salt, salted fish, and the
Lusitanian horses that were renowned in
antiquity.
Recently,
Phoenician remains from the eighth century BC were found beneath
the Mediaeval Sé de Lisboa
(Lisbon See), or main Cathedral of the modern city. Most modern
historians, however, consider the idea of a Phoenician foundation
of Lisbon as unreal, and instead believe that Lisbon was an ancient
autochthonous settlement (what the Romans
called an
oppidum) that at most,
maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, to account
for the presence of Phoenician pottery and other material
objects.
The Greeks knew Lisbon as
Olissipo and
"Olissipona", a name they thought was derived from
Ulysses, though this was a
folk etymology.
According to an
Ancient Greek myth, the hero founded
the city after he left Troy
, and
departed to the Atlantic to escape the Greek
coalition.
If all of
Odysseus' travels were in the Atlantic as Cailleux argued, then this could mean that
Odysseus founded the city coming from the north, before trying to
round Cape Malea, (which Cailleux located at Cabo de São
Vicente
), in a southeasterly direction, to reach his
homeland of Ithaca, supposedly
present Cadiz
.
However, the presence of Phoenicians (even if occasional) is
thought to predate any Greek presence in the area.
Later on, the Greek name was corrupted in
vulgar Latin to
Olissipona.
Some of the
native gods
worshiped in Lisbon were Aracus, Carneus, Bandiarbariaicus and
Coniumbricenses.
Roman Empire to the Moorish conquest
During the
Punic wars, after the defeat
of
Hannibal (whose troops included
members of the
Conii ) the Romans decided to
deprive Carthage of its most valuable possession,
Hispania (the name given by the Romans to the whole
of the Iberian Peninsula). After the defeat of the Carthaginians by
Scipio Africanus in Eastern
Hispania, the pacification of the West was led by
Consul Decimus Junius Brutus
Callaicus.
He obtained the alliance of Olissipo which sent men to fight
alongside the Legions against the Celtic tribes of the Northwest.
In return, Olissipo was integrated in the Empire under the name of
Felicitas Julia, a
Municipium
Cives Romanorum. It was granted self-rule over a territory
going as far away as 50 kilometres (30 miles), exempted from taxes,
and its citizens given the privileges of Roman citizenship.
It was in
the newly created province of Lusitania,
whose capital was Emerita
Augusta
. The attacks by the
Lusitanians during the frequent rebellions over
the next couple of centuries weakened the city, and a wall was
built.
During
the time of Augustus the Romans built a
great Theatre; the Cassian Baths underneath
the current Rua da Prata; Temples to Jupiter, Diana, Cybele,
Tethys and Idae Phrygiae (an uncommon cult from Asia Minor
), besides temples to the Emperor; a large necropolis under Praça da
Figueira
; a large Forum and other buildings such as insulae (multi-storied apartment buildings) in the
area between the modern Castle hill and Downtown.
Many of
these ruins were first unearthed during the middle Eighteenth
century, when the recent discovery of Pompeii
made Roman Archeology fashionable among Europe's
upper classes.
Economically strong, Olissipo was known for
its garum, a sort of fish sauce highly prized
by the elites of the Empire and exported in Amphorae to Rome
and other
cities. Wine,
salt
and its famously fast
horses were also
exported.
The city
came to be very prosperous through suppression of piracy and technological advances, which allowed a
boom in the trade with the newly Roman Provinces of Britannia (particularly Cornwall) and the Rhine
, and through
the introduction of Roman culture to the tribes living by the river
Tagus in the interior of Hispania.
The city was ruled by an
oligarchical
council dominated by two families, the Julii and the Cassiae.
Petitions are recorded addressed to the
Governor of the province in Emerita and to the
Empreror
Tiberius, such as one requesting
help dealing with "sea monsters" allegedly responsible for
shipwrecks.
The Roman
Sertorius led a large rebellion
against the Dictator
Sulla early in the Roman
Period.
Among the majority of
Latin speakers lived a
large minority of
Greek traders and
slaves.
The city
was connected by a broad road to Western Hispania's two other large
cities, Bracara Augusta in the
province of Tarraconensis (today's
Portuguese Braga), and Emerita
Augusta, the capital of Lusitania
(now Mérida
in Spain
).
Olissipo, like most great cities in the Western Empire, was a
centre for the dissemination of
Christianity.
Its first attested Bishop
was St. Potamius
(c. 356), and there were several
martyrs killed by the
pagans
during the great persecutions;
Maxima,
Verissimus
and
Julia are the most significant
names.
At the end of the Roman domain, Olissipo was one of the first
Christian cities. It suffered invasions from the
Sarmatian Alans and the
Germanic Vandals, who controlled the region from 409 to 429.
The
Germanic Suebi, who established a kingdom in
Gallaecia (modern Galicia
and northern Portugal), with capital in Bracara
Augusta (Braga), from 409 to 585, also
controlled the region of Lisbon for long periods of
time.
In 585 the Suebi kingdom was included in the Germanic
Visigothic kingdom of Toledo, that comprised all
of the Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon was then called
Ulishbona.
Moorish rule
On August 6, 711 Lisbon was taken by the
Moors
(it was called
al-ʾIšbūnah in
Arabic الأشبونة), under
whose rule the city flourished. The Moors, who were
Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East, built
many
mosques and houses as well as a new city
wall, currently named the
Cerca Moura. The city kept a
diverse population including
Christians,
Berbers,
Arabs,
Jews and
Saqalibas.
Arabic was forced on the Christians
as the official language.
Mozarabic was
the mother language spoken by the Christian population.
Islam was the official religion practiced by the Arabs
and
Muladi (
muwallad), the Christians could keep their religion
but under
Dhimmi status and were required to
pay the
jizyah.
The
Moorish influence is still present in Alfama
, the old
part of Lisbon that survived the 1755 Lisbon earthquake
. Many placenames are derived from Arabic; the
Alfama, the oldest
existing district of Lisbon, for example, is derived from the
Arabic "al-hamma".
For a
brief time during the Taifa period Lisbon was
the center town in the Regulo Eslavo of the Taifa of Badajoz
and then as an independent Taifa ruled by Abd
al-Aziz ibn Sabur and Abd al-Malik ibn Sabur sons of Sabur al-Jatib (Sabur the Slav), a Slav that had been at the service of al-Hakam II before ruling the Taifa of
Badajoz.
In 1147,
as part of the Reconquista, crusader knights led by Afonso I of Portugal, sieged and
reconquered Lisbon. The
city, with around 154,000 residents at the time, returned to
Christian rule.
The reconquest of Portugal and re-establishment of Christianity is
one of the most significant events in Lisbon's history; although it
is known through the chronicle
Expugnatione Lyxbonensi,
attributed to
Osburnus, that there was a
bishop in the town that was killed by the
crusaders and that the population was praying to
the Virgin Mary when afflicted with plague, which indicates that
the
Mozarab population followed the
Mozarabic rite.
Arabic lost its place in everyday life. Any
remaining
Muslim population were gradually
converted to
Roman
Catholicism, or expelled, and the
mosques
were turned into
churches. (Though
in Portuguese historiography this was often mentioned as "turning
the mosques
back into churches", in fact many of the
structures concerned were built as mosques to begin with.)
From the Middle Ages to the Portuguese Empire
It received its first
Foral in 1179.
Periodic
raiding expeditions were sent from Al-Andalus
to ravage the Iberian Christian kingdoms, bringing
back booty and slaves. In raid against Lisbon in 1189, the
Almohad caliph
Yaqub al-Mansur took 3,000 female and child
captives. Lisbon became the capital city of Portugal in 1255 due to
its central location in the new Portuguese territory. The first
Portuguese
university was founded in
Lisbon in 1290 by
Dinis I of
Portugal as
Estudo
Geral (General Study). The university was transferred
several times to
Coimbra, where it was
installed definitively in the 16th century (today's
University of Coimbra).
During the last centuries of the Middle Ages, the city expanded
substantially and became an important trading post with both
northern Europe and Mediterranean cities.
Most of
the Portuguese expeditions of the age
of discovery left from Lisbon during the 15th to 17th
centuries, including Vasco da Gama's
departure to India
in
1497. The 16th century marks the golden age for Lisbon.
The city
became the European hub of commerce with Africa, India, the Far
East and, later, Brazil
, exploring
riches like spices, slaves, sugar, textiles and other goods.
This was
the time of the exuberant Manueline style,
which has left its mark in two 16th century Lisbon monuments, the
Belém
Tower
and the Jerónimos Monastery
, both of which were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO
.
A description of Lisbon in the sixteenth century was written by
Damião de Góis and
published in 1554.
Portugal lost its independence to Spain in 1580 after a succession
crisis, and the
1640
revolt that restored the Portuguese independence took place in
Lisbon (see
Philip III of
Portugal). In the early 18th century, gold from Brazil allowed
King John V to sponsor the
building of several
Baroque churches and
theatres in the city.
1755 Lisbon earthquake
Prior to the 18th century, Lisbon had experienced several important
earthquakes – eight in the 14th century, five in the 16th century
(including the 1531 earthquake that destroyed 1,500 houses, and the
1597 earthquake when three streets vanished), and three in the 17th
century.
On 1 November 1755 the city was destroyed by
another
earthquake, which killed an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 Lisbon
residents and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city.
With a population estimated at between 200,000 and 275,000
residents, Lisbon was, in 1755, one of the largest cities in
Europe. Among several important structures of the city, the
Royal Ribeira Palace and the
Royal Hospital of All
Saints were lost. The event shocked the whole of Europe.
Voltaire wrote a long poem, "Poême sur le
désastre de Lisbonne", shortly after the quake, and mentioned it in
his 1759
novel Candide (indeed, many argue that this critique
of
optimism was inspired by that
earthquake).
Oliver Wendell
Holmes, Sr. also mentions it in his 1857
poem,
The Deacon's Masterpiece, or The Wonderful
One-Hoss Shay. In the town of
Cascais,
some 30 km west of Lisbon, the waves wrecked several boats and
when the water withdrew, large stretches of sea bottom were left
uncovered. In coastal areas such as
Peniche,
situated about 80 km north of Lisbon, many people were killed
by the tsunami.
In Setúbal, 30 km
south of Lisbon, the water reached the first floor of
buildings. The destruction was also great in the
Algarve, southern Portugal, where the tsunami
dismantled some coastal fortresses and, in the lower levels, razed
houses. In some places the waves crested at more than 30 m. Almost
all the coastal towns and villages of Algarve were heavily damaged,
except
Faro, which was protected by
sandy banks.
In Lagos
, the waves
reached the top of the city walls. For many Portuguese
coastal regions, the destructive effects of the tsunami were more
disastrous than those of the earthquake proper.
In southwestern
Spain, the tsunami caused damage to Cadiz and Huelva
, and the
waves penetrated the Guadalquivir
River, reaching Seville
. In Gibraltar
, the sea rose suddenly by about two meters.
In
Ceuta
the tsunami was strong, but in the Mediterranean Sea
, it decreased rapidly. On the other hand, it
caused great damage and casualties to the western coast of Morocco
, from Tangier
, where the waves reached the walled fortifications
of the town, to Agadir
, where the
waters passed over the walls, killing many. The tsunami also
reached Cornwall, in the United Kingdom
, at a height of three metres. Along the
coast of Cornwall, the sea rose rapidly in vast waves, and then
embedded equally rapidly.
A two metre tsunami also hit Galway
in
Ireland
, and did some considerable damage to the Spanish Arch
section of the city wall.
After the
1755 earthquake, the city was rebuilt largely according to the
plans of Prime Minister Sebastião José de
Carvalho e Melo, the 1st Marquess of Pombal
; hence the designation of the lower town as
Baixa Pombalina (Pombaline Downtown
). Instead of rebuilding the medieval town,
Pombal decided to demolish the remains of the earthquake and
rebuild the downtown in accordance with modern urban rules.
19th and 20th centuries
In the
first years of the 19th century, Portugal was invaded by the troops
of Napoléon Bonaparte,
making Queen Maria I and
Prince-Regent João (future John
VI) flee temporarily to Brazil
.
Considerable property was pillaged by the invaders.
The city felt the full force of the Portuguese liberal upheavals,
beginning its tradition of cafés and theatres. In 1879 the
Avenida da
Liberdade was opened, replacing a previous public
garden.
Lisbon was the centre of the republican coup of October 5, 1910
which instated the Portuguese Republic. Previously, it was also the
stage of the
regicide of
Carlos I of Portugal (1908).
The city refounded its university in 1911 after centuries of
inactivity in Lisbon, incorporating reformed former colleges and
other non-university higher education schools of the city (such as
the
Escola Politécnica – now
Faculdade de
Ciências).
Today there are 3 public universities in the
city (University
of Lisbon
, Technical University of
Lisbon and New University
of Lisbon), a public university institute (ISCTE – Instituto Superior de Ciências do Trabalho
e da Empresa
) and a polytechnic institute (IPL – Instituto Politécnico de
Lisboa). See
list of universities in
Portugal.
During
World War II Lisbon was one of
the very few neutral, open European Atlantic ports, a major gateway
for refugees to the U.S. and a spy nest.
In 1974,
Lisbon was the central destination point of the Carnation Revolution maneuvers, the end
of the Portuguese Corporative Regime (Estado
Novo
).
In 1988,
a fire near the historical centre of Chiado
greatly
disrupted normal life in the area for about 10 years.
In 1994, Lisbon was the
European Capital of
Culture.
Expo '98 was held in Lisbon.
The timing was
intended to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's sea voyage to India.
Contemporary events
The
Lisbon Agenda was a
European Union agreement on measures to
revitalize the EU economy, signed in Lisbon in March 2000.
On the 7 July 2007, Lisbon held the ceremony of the "New 7 Wonders
Of The World" election, in Luz stadium, with live transmission for
millions of people all over the world.
In October 2007 Lisbon hosted the
2007 EU
Summit, where agreement was reached regarding a new EU
governance model. The resulting
Treaty
of Lisbon was signed on the 13 December 2007 and will come in
to force on 1 December 2009.
Climate
Lisbon has a
Mediterranean
climate that is strongly influenced by the
Gulf Stream, giving it one of the mildest
climates in Europe. The city is sunny throughout the year, with an
annual average of 2900-3300 hours of sunshine.
Summers are warm and dry with average daytime temperatures of
26–29°C, falling to 16–18°C at night. Winters are cool and rainy
with temperatures around 8–15°C, while spring and fall are
generally mild, or even warm during daytime. Extreme temperatures
may reach 36°C in some of the warmest summer afternoons and 2°C in
the coldest winter mornings.
From May to September the weather tends to be settled most of the
time with blues skies and some wind as well.
Annual rainfall is around 700-750 mm, spread over 100 rainy
days, mostly from October to May.
Demographics
The population of the city proper was 564,477 and the metropolitan
area (
Lisbon Metropolitan
Area) was 2,800,000 according to the Instituto Nacional de
Estatística (National Institute of Statistics).
The Lisbon
Metropolitan Area coincides with two NUTS II
units, Grande Lisboa (Greater
Lisbon), in the northern bank of the Tagus, and
Península de
Setúbal (Setúbal Peninsula), to the south, which are the
two subregions of Região
Lisboa (Lisbon Region). The population density of
the city itself is .
Like most big cities, Lisbon is surrounded by many
satellite cities. It is estimated that more
than one million people enter Lisbon every day from the outskirts.
Cascais and Estoril
are among the most interesting neighbouring towns for night
life. Beautiful palaces, landscapes and historical sites can
be found in
Sintra and
Mafra.
Other major municipalities around Lisbon
include Amadora, Oeiras, Odivelas, Loures, Vila Franca
de Xira
and, in the south bank of the Tagus river
estuary, Almada, Barreiro and Seixal.
Lisbon is ranked number 1 in the Portuguese most livable cities
survey of
living conditions
published yearly by
Expresso.
Demographic evolution of Lisbon (1801–2004)
| 1801 |
1849 |
1900 |
1930 |
1960 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
2004 |
| 203.999 |
174.900 |
350.919 |
591.939 |
801.155 |
807.937 |
663.394 |
564.657 |
529.485 |
Culture and sights
The city of Lisbon is rich in architecture;
Romanesque,
Gothic,
Manueline,
Baroque,
Traditional Portuguese,
Modern and
Post-Modern constructions can be found all over
the city. The city is also crossed by great boulevards and
monuments along these main thoroughfares, particularly in the upper
districts; notable among these are the
Avenida da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue),
Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo, Avenida Almirante Reis and Avenida
da República (Republic Avenue).
The most famous museums in Lisbon are the
Museu
Nacional de Arte Antiga
(National Museum of Ancient Art), the Museu do Azulejo (Museum of
Portuguese-style Tile Mosaics), the Museu
Calouste Gulbenkian
(Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, containing varied
collections of ancient and modern art), the Lisbon
Oceanarium
(Oceanário de Lisboa, the second largest
in the world), the Museu Nacional do Traje e da
Moda (National Museum of Costume and Fashion), the Berardo Collection Museum (Modern
Art) at the Belém Cultural Center
, the Museu Nacional dos Coches
(National Coach Museum, containing the largest
collection of royal coaches in the world), the Museu da Farmácia (Pharmacy Museum)
and the Museum of the
Orient.
Lisbon's
opera house, the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
, hosts a relatively active cultural agenda, mainly
in autumn and winter. Other important theatres and musical houses
are the Centro Cultural de Belém
, the Teatro
Nacional D. Maria
II and the Gulbenkian Foundation
.
The
monument to Christ the King (Cristo Rei) stands on the left side of the river, in
Almada.
With open
arms, overlooking the whole city, it resembles the Corcovado
monument in Rio de
Janeiro
, and was built after World
War II, as thanks for Portugal's being spared the horrors and
destruction of the war.
Every June there are 5 days of popular street celebrations in
memory of a saint born in Lisbon –
Anthony of Lisbon (or Santo António).
Saint Anthony, also known as Saint Anthony of Padua, was a wealthy
Portuguese bohemian who was
canonised
and made
Doctor of the Church
after a life preaching to the poor, simpler people.
Although Lisbon’s
patron saint is Saint Vincent,
whose remains are in the Lisbon Cathedral
, there are no festivities associated with
him.
Parque Eduardo VII is the second largest park
of the city after
Parque
Florestal de Monsanto, prolonging the main avenue (
Avenida da Liberdade). Originally named
Parque da Liberdade, was after renamed
Park Edward VII of England who
visited Lisbon in 1903, it includes a large variety of plants in a
winter garden (Estufa Fria).
Lisbon is home every year to the
Lisbon Gay & Lesbian
Film Festival, the Lisboarte, the DocLisboa – Lisbon
International Documentary Film Festival, the Arte Lisboa –
Contemporary Art Fair, the Festival of the Oceans, the
International Organ Festival of Lisbon, the MOTELx – Lisbon
International Horror Film Festival, the Lisbon Village Festival,
the Festival Internacional de Máscaras e Comediantes, the Lisboa
Mágica – Street Magic World Festival, the Lisbon Book Fair, the
Peixe em Lisboa – Lisbon Fish and Flavours, the Lisbon
International Handicraft Exhibition, the Lisbon Photo Marathon, the
IndieLisboa – International Independent Film Festival, the
Alkantara Festival, the Temps d´Images Festival and the Jazz in
August festival.
Lisbon has been home three times (in 2004, 2005, and 2008) to
Rock in Rio, one of the world's largest
pop-rock festivals. Annual popular music events within the
metropolitan area include the
Optimus
Alive! and
Super Bock Super
Rock festivals.
Lisbon is also home to the Lisbon Architecture Triennial, the Moda
Lisboa (Fashion Lisbon), ExperimentaDesign – Biennial of Design and
LuzBoa – Biennial of Light.
Alfama
The
oldest district of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the
Castle of
Lisbon
and the Tejo river.
Its name comes from the
Arabic
Al-hamma, meaning fountains or baths. It contains many
important historical attractions, with many
Fado bars and restaurants.During the times of
Moorish domination, Alfama
constituted the whole of the city, which later spread to the West
(
Baixa neighbourhood). Alfama became inhabited
by the fishermen and the poor, and its condition as the
neighbourhood of the poor continues to this day.
The great 1755 Lisbon
Earthquake
did not destroy the Alfama, which has remained a
picturesque labyrinth of narrow streets and small squares.
Lately the neighbourhood has been invigorated with the renovation
of the old houses and new restaurants where
Fado - Portuguese typical melancholy music - can be
enjoyed.
The Castle of São Jorge
and the Lisbon Cathedral are located in this area. 4Other attractions
include:
Baixa
The heart
of the city is the Baixa (Downtown)
or city centre; The Pombaline Baixa is an elegant district,
primarily constructed after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. It takes its name from Sebastião José de
Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquess of Pombal, the Prime Minister
to Joseph I of Portugal from
1750 to 1777 and key figure of The
Enlightenment in Portugal, who took the lead in ordering the
rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake. The Marquis
of Pombal imposed strict conditions on rebuilding the city, and the
current grid pattern strongly differs from the organic streetplan
that characterised the district before the Earthquake.
The Pombaline Baixa is one of the first examples of
earthquake-resistant construction.
Architectural models were tested by having troops march around them
to simulate an earthquake. Notable features of Pombaline structures
include the 'Pombaline cage', a symmetrical wood-lattice framework
aimed at distributing earthquake force, and inter-terrace walls
that are built higher than roof timbers to reduce fire
contagion.
It was placed on Portugal's "tentative list" of potential
World Heritage Sites on
7 December 2004.Other
monuments in this area include:
Chiado
The Chiado is a traditional shopping area that mixes old and modern
commercial establishments, concentrated specially in the Carmo's
and Garrett's streets. Locals as well as tourists visit the Chiado
to buy books, garments, pottery as well as to have a cup of coffee.
The most famous café of Chiado is
A
Brasileira, famous for having had poet
Fernando Pessoa among its customers. The
Chiado is also an important cultural area, with several museums and
theatres. Several buildings of the Chiado were destroyed in a fire
in
1988, an event that deeply shocked the
country. Thanks to a renovation project that lasted more than 10
years, coordinated by celebrated architect
Siza Vieira, the affected area is now
recovered.
Attractions include:
Bairro Alto
Bairro Alto (literally
upper quarter in
Portuguese) is an area of
central Lisbon. It functions as a residential, shopping and
entertainment district. Today, the Bairro Alto is the heart of
Lisbon's youth and of the Portuguese capital's nightlife. Lisbon's
Punk,
Gay,
Metal,
Goth,
Hip Hop and
Reggae scenes, all have the Bairro as their home, due
to the number of clubs and bars dedicated to each of them. The
fado, Portugal's national song, still survives
in the new Lisbon's nightlife. The crowd is a mix of local and
tourist, straight and gay, and almost anything else imagined.
Estrela
The
Baroque-Neoclassical Estrela Basilica
is the main attraction of this district. The
huge church has a giant dome, and is located in a hill in what was
at the time the western part of Lisbon and can be viewed from far
away.
The
style is similar to the Mafra National Palace
, in late baroque and neoclassical. The front
has two twin bell towers and includes statues of saints and some
allegoric figures.
The Parliament,
housed in Sao Bento
Palace
, is in this district. Nearby is the official
residence of Portugal’s Prime Minister. and the
Prazeres Cemetery is nearby as well.
Alcântara
A new hangout in Lisbon, the
Docas.
Although today it is quite central, it was once a mere suburb of
Lisbon, comprising mostly farms and palaces. In the 16th century,
there was a brook there which the nobles used to promenade in their
boats. Through the late 19th century, Alcântara became a popular
industrial area, with lots of small factories and warehouses.
Through the centuries, this area has lost all of its charm and old
buildings, as well as its brook, and the womenfolk used to go there
to do their laundry.Around the early 1990s, Alcântara started to
become a place for pubs and discothèques, mainly because its outer
area is mostly commercial, and the noise generated at night, and
the "movida", would not disturb its residents. Today, some of these
areas are slowly being taken over by loft developments and new
apartments that can profit from its excellent river views and
central location.
Belém
Santa Maria de Belém, or
just Belém ( ) is a parish
of Lisbon, Portugal, located 6 km west of the present city centre
and 2 km west of Ponte 25 de Abril
(25th of April Bridge). Its name is derived
from the Portuguese for Bethlehem
.
Belém is
famous as the place from which many of the great Portuguese explorers set off on their voyages of
discovery. In particular, it is the place from which
Vasco da Gama departed for India in
1497. It is also a former royal residence and
features the 17th-18th century Belém Palace
, former royal residence and now occupied by the
President of Portugal, and the
Ajuda
Palace
, begun in 1802 but never completed.
Belém Tower
Belém's most famous feature is its tower,
Torre de
Belém, whose image is much used by Lisbon's tourist
board. The tower was built as a fortified lighthouse late in the
reign of
Dom Manuel (1515-1520)
to guard the entrance to the port at Belém.
It stood on a little
island in right side of the Tagus, surrounded
by water.
Belém's
other major historical building is the Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos
(Jerónimos Monastery), which the Torre de
Belém was built partly to defend. The building of
the monastery, an example of
Manueline
architecture, was begun in 1502 on the instructions of
Manuel I and took 50 years to complete.
It was
built as a monument to Vasco da Gama's
successful voyage to India and was
funded by a tax on eastern spices. The monastery contains
the tomb of
Vasco da Gama.
Located
in the wings of the monastery are the Museu
Nacional de Arqueologia
(National Archaeological Museum) and the
Museu da
Marinha
(Maritime Museum).
Monumet to the
Discoveries
.JPG/180px-Monument_to_the_Discoveries,_Lisbon,_Portugal_(closeup).JPG)
Detail of the Monument to the Discoveries
ém's most notable modern feature is the
Padrão dos
Descobrimentos
(Monument to the Discoveries). This is a 52m high
slab of concrete, erected in 1960 to commemorate the 500th
anniversary of the death of
Henry
the Navigator. The monument is carved into the shape of the
prow of a ship in which stand statues of various explorers, as well
as a statue of Henry himself. Adjacent to the monument is a square
into whose surface is set a map showing the routes of various
Portuguese explorers.
In the heart of Belém is the
Praça do Império: gardens
centred upon a large fountain, laid out during
World War II.
To the west of the gardens lies the
Centro
Cultural de Belém. This was built for Portugal's 1992 presidency of the EU. It is now an arts complex, containing Belém's
Museu do Design (Design Museum).
To the southeast of
the gardens is the Belém Palace (1770), the official residence of the
Portuguese President. Five hundred metres to the east of Praça do
Império lies Belém's other major square Praça Afonso
de Albuquerque
.
Belém is
home to a number of other museums, many of which were established
by Salazar for the
1940 Belém Expo: Museu da Electricidade (Electricity
Museum), Museu do Centro Científico e Cultural de Macau
(Macau
Cultural
Museum), Museu de Arte Popular (Folk Art Museum) and
Museu
Nacional dos Coches (Coach Museum).
Belenenses, a renowned
sports club from Lisbon is based in Belém.
Belém's main street is
Rua de Belém, in which there is a
160-year-old pastry shop, at which can be purchased one of the
famous
pastel de Belém
(plural:
pastéis de Belém) -
custard tarts made with flaky pastry.Other
attractions within the area are:
- Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries), built in mid-20th
century, during Estado Novo dictatorial regime
- Belem Cultural Centre
, example of Portuguese contemporary architecture,
finished in 1994
- Belem Tower
, an ex-libris of the city, built in the 16th
century
- Belem Palace
, 18th century palace, which is now the official
residence of the President of the Republic
- Coach Museum, displaying most
relevant and spectuacular carriages from 17th to 19th century.
Gare do Oriente
Gare do Oriente (Orient Station) is one of the main transportation
hubs of Lisbon, for trains, metro, buses and taxis. Its glass and
steel columns are reminiscent of palms, making the whole structure
fascinating to look at (especially in sunlight or when illuminated
at night). It was designed by the architect
Santiago Calatrava from Valencia (Spain).
Cross through the shopping mall just across the street and you are
in Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations), site of the 1998 World
Expo.
Lisbon trams and funiculars
A typical tram.
Transportation in Lisbon is more charming than in most cities. Much
is owed to its geography; a part of Lisbon has been
built on its
seven hills. No visit to Lisbon is complete without riding the
1930s
trams. The greatest attractions, though,
are the
funiculars, of which there are
three. These are Elevador da Glória, Elevador da Bica, and Elevador
da Lavra. Perhaps the most picturesque is the Elevador da Bica,
which passes through a charming residential neighborhood just below
Bairro Alto.
Economy
The
Lisbon region is the wealthiest region
in Portugal and it is well above the European Union's GDP per capita average – it produces 45% of
the Portuguese GDP.
Lisbon's economy is based primarily on the
tertiary sector.
Most of the
headquarters of multinationals operating in Portugal are
concentrated in the Grande Lisboa
subregion, specially in the Oeiras municipality. Lisbon Metropolitan Area is heavily
industrialized, especially the south bank of the Tagus river (Rio
Tejo).
The country's chief seaport, featuring one of the largest and most
sophisticated regional markets on the Iberian Peninsula, Lisbon and
its heavily populated surroundings are also developing as an
important financial center and a dynamic technological hub.
Lisbon has the largest and most developed
mass media sector of Portugal, and is home to
several related companies ranging from leading
television networks and
radio stations to
major newspapers.
The
Euronext Lisbon stock exchange, part of the pan-European
Euronext system together with the stock
exchanges of Amsterdam
, Brussels
and Paris
, is tied
with the New
York Stock Exchange
since 2007, forming the multinational NYSE Euronext group of stock
exchanges.
Transport
Lisbon's public transport network is extremely far-reaching and
reliable and has its
Metro as its main
artery, connecting the city centre with the upper and eastern
districts, and now reaching the suburbs. Ambitious expansion
projects will increase the network by almost one third, connecting
the airport, and the northern and western districts. Bus, funicular
and tram services have been supplied by the Companhia de Carris de
Ferro de Lisboa (
Carris), for over a
century.
A traditional form of public transport in Lisbon is the
tram.
Originally introduced in the 19th century,
the trams were originally imported from the U.S.
and called
americanos. The original trams can still be seen in
the Museu da Carris (the Public Transport Museum) (
Carris). Other than on
the modern Line 15, the Lisbon tramway system still employs small
(four wheel) vehicles of a design dating from the early part of the
twentieth century. These distinctive yellow trams are one of the
tourist icons of modern Lisbon, and their size is well suited to
the steep hills and narrow streets of the central city.
There are other commuter bus services from the city: Vimeca,
Rodoviaria de Lisboa, Transportes Sul do Tejo, Boa Viagem,
Barraqueiro are the main ones, operating from different terminals
in the city.
There are
four commuter train lines departing from Lisbon: the Cascais,
Sintra and Azambuja lines (operated by Comboios de Portugal (CP)), as well as
a fourth line to Setúbal (operated by
Fertagus) crossing the Tagus river over
the 25 de
Abril Bridge
. A separate CP line to Setúbal ends at the
southern bank of the Tagus and requires ferry transfer to reach
Lisbon.
The major railway stations are Santa
Apolónia
, Rossio
, Gare do
Oriente
and Cais do
Sodré.
The city does not offer a
light rail
service (tram line 15, although running with new and faster trams
does not fall onto this category), but there are plans to build
some lines with this service around the city (but not into the city
itself).
The city is connected to the far side of the Tagus by two important
bridges:
Another way of crossing the river is by taking the ferry.
The
company is Transtejo-Soflusa (), which operates from different
points in the city to Cacilhas
, Seixal, Montijo
, Porto Brandão
and Trafaria
under the brand Transtejo and to Barreiro under the brand Soflusa.
Lisbon is connected to its suburbs and the rest of Portugal by an
extensive motorway network. There are three circular motorways
around the city; the 2ª Circular, the CRIL and the CREL.
The
Portela
Airport
is located within the city limits. TAP and
Portugalia
have their hubs here and the flights available are mostly to
Europe, Africa and America.
Education
The city has several private and public
secondary schools,
primary schools as well as Kindergärten.
In
Greater Lisbon area there are also
international schools such as Saint Julian's School, the Carlucci
American International School of Lisbon, Saint
Dominic's International School
, Deutsche
Schule Lissabon, Instituto Español de Lisboa
(Lisbon Spanish Institute), and Lycée Français Charles
Lepierre.
There are
three major public universities
in Lisbon: the University of Lisbon (Lisbon's oldest university in operation, founded
in 1911, also called the Classic University of Lisbon), the
Technical University of
Lisbon (founded in 1930) and the New University of Lisbon (founded
in 1973), providing degrees in all academic disciplines.
There is
also one state-run university
institute – the ISCTE
, and a polytechnic institute – the Polytechnical Institute of
Lisbon.
Major private institutions of higher education include the
Portuguese Catholic
University, as well as the
Lusíada University, the
Universidade Lusófona, and the
Universidade
Autónoma de Lisboa, among others.
The total number of enrolled students in higher education in Lisbon
was, for the 2007-2008 school year, of 125,867 students, of whom
81,507 in the Lisbon's public institutions.
Sports
Luz Stadium
The Lisbon
sports clubs Sport Lisboa e Benfica (commonly
"Benfica") and
Sporting Clube
de Portugal (commonly "Sporting"), have many sports teams in
the highest Portuguese divisions and European competitions.
Belenenses, another important club with a
great tradition in Portuguese sport, is also from the Portuguese
capital.
Football is the most popular sport
in Lisbon. Major football clubs include
S.L. Benfica, with
its home 65,000 seat stadium the UEFA
Elite stadium Estádio da Luz
(named after the area in which the stadium is
situated (Luz) and not, as is popularly believed, 'Stadium of
Light'). Benfica has won the UEFA Champions League twice and has
appeared in the final seven times, and Sporting Clube de Portugal, the
other major football team from the city, also having a UEFA elite
stadium, 52,000 seat Estádio José de Alvalade
stadium. It has won the
UEFA Cup Winners Cup once and was the
UEFA Cup finalist in the 2004-05 season.
Former players from this team include
Luís Figo and
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Belenenses is another important football team in
the city, having Estádio do Restelo
as its home stadium in the Belém
neighbourhood of Lisbon. Belenenses holds
the distinction of being the first club, other than perennial
winners Sporting, Benfica and
Porto, to win
the Portuguese League, taking the trophy in the 1945-46
season.
Other sports, such as
indoor
football,
handball,
basketball and
roller
hockey are also popular.
There are many other sport facilities in Lisbon, ranging from
athletics to
sailing to
golf to
mountain-biking.
Lisbon was among the Portuguese cities which hosted the
UEFA Euro 2004 championship. In 2006 and
2007, Lisbon was the starting city of the
Dakar Rally. Every March the city hosts
the
Lisbon Half Marathon.
Parishes
There are 53
freguesias
(
civil parishes) in Lisbon:
- Ajuda
(formerly Nossa Senhora da Ajuda)
- Alcântara
- Alto do Pina
- Alvalade
- Ameixoeira
(formerly Funchal)
- Anjos
- Beato
- Benfica
- Campo Grande
- Campolide
- Carnide
- Castelo
- Charneca
- Coração de Jesus (formerly Camões)
- Encarnação
- Graça
- Lapa
- Lumiar
- Madalena
- Mártires
- Marvila
- Mercês
- Nossa Senhora de Fátima
- Pena
- Penha de França
- Prazeres
- Sacramento
- Santa Catarina
- Santa Engrácia (formerly Monte Pedral)
- Santa Isabel
- Santa Justa
- Santa Maria de Belém
- Olivais (formerly Santa Maria dos Olivais)
- Santiago
- Santo Condestável
- Santo Estêvão
- Santos-o-Velho
- São Cristóvão e São Lourenço (formerly São Lourenço)
- São Domingos de Benfica
- São Francisco Xavier
- São João
- São João de Brito
- São João de Deus
- São Jorge de Arroios
- São José
- São Mamede
- São Miguel
- São Nicolau
- São Paulo (formerly Marquês de Pombal)
- São Sebastião da Pedreira
- São Vicente de Fora (formerly Escolas Gerais)
- Sé
- Socorro
Furthermore, and more commonly referred to by its inhabitants,
Lisbon is divided into historical "bairros" with no clearly defined
boundaries, such as
Amoreiras,
Bairro Alto,
Bica,
Alfama,
Mouraria,
Avenidas
Novas,
Intendente,
Chelas and
Lapa.
Prominent people born in Lisbon
- Saint Anthony of Lisbon
(1195–1231)
- Pope John XXI, born Pedro Julião
(1215–1277)
- Francisco de Almeida,
(1450–1510) Portuguese admiral, the first Viceroy of Portuguese
India.
- António Vieira (1608–1697),
Jesuit
- Catherine of Braganza
(1638–1705), queen consort of King
Charles II of England
- Richard William Church
(1815–1890)
- Fernando Pessoa (1888–1935),
poet / writer
- Amália Rodrigues
(1920–1999), fado / singer
- Mário Cesariny (1923–2006),
poet
- Alexandre O'Neill (1924–1986),
poet / writer
- Mário Soares (born 1924),
politician, former President and
Prime-Minister
- Paula Rego (born 1935), painter, illustrator and
printmaker
- Jorge Sampaio (born 1939),
politician, former Mayor of Lisbon and
President
- António Damásio, (born
1944), neuroscientist
- António Guterres (born
1949), United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, former Prime-Minister
- José Manuel
Durão Barroso (born 1956), President of the European
Commission, former Prime-Minister
International relations
Twin towns - Sister cities
Lisbon is
twinned with:
Gallery
File:Torre de Belem 1.JPG|Belém
TowerFile:TelhadosLisboa1.JPG|Baixa and Lisbon Castle
File:Parque_Eduardo_Setimo.JPG|Eduardo
VII Park
File:Ponte 25 de Abril
20050728.jpg|25th April
Bridge
File:TeatroNacionalDMariaII.JPG|
Teatro Nacional D. Maria IIFile:MonumentoRestauradoresLisboa.JPG|Restauradores Square
File:Convento_do_Carmo_ruins_in_Lisbon.jpg|Carmo Convent
File:Lisbon_calcada.jpg|
Portuguese pavementFile:Aqueduto das
Águas Livres (1).jpg|Águas Livres Aqueduct
File:Rossio Lisboa 2007.jpg|Rossio Square
File:Torre_Vasco_da_Gama_01.JPG|Parque
das Nações
File:Gare_Oriente_Lisboa.JPG|Gare do
OrienteFile:Lisboa_-_Marquês_de_Pombal.jpg|Marquês
de Pombal square (aerial view)
File:Jeronimos Monastery South.jpg|Jerónimos
MonasteryFile:Lisbon35.jpg|AlfamaFile:AvLiberdadeLisbon-CCBYSA.jpg|
Avenida da
LiberdadeFile:Lisbon05.jpg|Augusta
Street
File:Electricos Lisboa 3.JPG|Lisbon
Tram
File:LisbonChiado2-CCBYSA.jpg|Chiado SquareFile:Conceiçao Velha - Portal
Manuelino.JPG|
Conceição
ChurchFile:Largo do Camões.jpg|Camões
SquareFile:22062008lisbondiscoverymark.jpg|Discoveries
MarkFile:Lisbon_(Lisboa)_historic_elevator_Santa_Justa_Luca_Galuzzi_2006.jpg|Santa
Justa historic elevator
See also
References
- Uma população que se urbaniza, Uma avaliação
recente - Cidades, 2004 Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico
Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
- Fernando Nunes da Silva (2005), Alta Velocidade em Portugal, Desenvolvimento
Regional, Censur ist
- Global Financial Centres Index
- Mattoso, José (dir.), História de
Portugal. Primeiro Volume: Antes de Portugal, Lisboa, Círculo
de Leitores, 1992 - in Portuguese.
- Pays Atlantiques décrits par Homère, Th. Cailleux, 1879,
Paris.
- Ransoming Captives in Crusader Spain: The Order of Merced
on the Christian-Islamic Frontier
- Urbis Olisiponis descriptio (Évora, 1554); Lisbon
in the Renaissance, trans Jeffrey S. Ruth (New York,
1996).
- Pereira, A.S. "The Opportunity of a Disaster: The
Economic Impact of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake," Discussion Paper
06/03, Centre for Historical Economics and Related Research at
York, York University, 2006 (pdf), p. 8.
- Historical Depictions of the 1755 Lisbon
Earthquake
- Pereira, "The Opportunity of a Disaster," p. 8,
estimates a population of 200,000.
- Historical Depictions of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake,
citing an unreferenced estimate of 275,000.
- Classificação Expresso das melhores cidades
portuguesas para viver em 2007, Expresso
- http://www.artelisboa.fil.pt/
- {{cite web|author=two |url=http://www.motelx.org |title=MOTELx
- Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de Lisboa = {LISBON
INTERNATIONAL HORROR FILM FESTIVAL} |publisher=Motelx.org |date=
|accessdate=2009-07-08}}
- http://www.feiradolivrodelisboa.pt
- http://www.artesanato.fil.pt/
- [1] Information from Carris, Lisbon
transportation company.
- [2] Details of Lisbon's trams, from Luso
Pages
-
http://www.estatisticas.gpeari.mctes.pt/archive/doc/insc07_08__difusao_.xls
External links
_edited.jpg/200px-Tratado_de_Lisboa_13_12_2007_(08)_edited.jpg)
.jpg/150px-Vista_do_Miradouro_de_Sta._Justa_-_Lisboa_(Portugal).jpg)
(Commerce Square) and Rossio Square
, which houses most important works of Portuguese
contemporary art
is located nearby.
in San
Francisco
, it is not,
as thought by some, a replica (the Golden Gate Bridge does not have
X braces).
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