The most western point of Portugal, and of Europe's mainland and the most westerly point of the Euraziatic continent: Cabo da Roca in Portugal.
The cape is located within the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, 42 kilometres northwest of the urbanized area of Lisbon and 18 kilometres northwest of Sintra. Its location (38°47′N 9°30′W) is inscribed on a stone plaque, located on a monument at the site.
Much of the vegetation in this cape are low-lying and adapted to saltwater and windy conditions. Once home to a variety of plant life, Cabo da Roca has been overrun with the invasive plant species Carpobrotus edulis. This creeping, mat-forming plant, a member of the Aizoaceae succulent family, was introduced as ground cover by local residents several decades ago, but now covers much of the arable land on Cabo da Roca.
On the site there is a lighthouse, which is not as important for seamen as other nearby lighthouses. This is because the cape is just a small expulsion of an otherwise north-south coast: seamen don't have to 'round' the cape to reach their destination, they just pass it. The lighthouse was therefore abandoned and only in 1980 some upgrades were done: it was connected to the electricity network and received a new Fresnel lens. Nowadays, three lighthouse keepers are maintaining it's function.
When I visited the site, a nice halo was visible around the sun. Combined with the exquisite landscape around the cape, it made a great photo!
Tags: portugal halo sun cabo da roca lighthouse cape lisboa sintra cascais park lisbon sea cloud sky beauiful
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The first tramway in Lisbon entered service on 17 November 1873, as a horsecar line. On 30 August 1901, Lisbon's first electric tramway commenced operations. Within a year, all of the city's tramways had been converted to electric traction.
Up until 1959, the network of lines was further developed, and in that year it reached its greatest extent. At that time, there was a total of 27 tram lines in Lisbon, of which six operated as circle lines. As the circle lines operated in both clockwise and anticlockwise directions, each with its own route number, it is more correct to speak of a total of 24 tram routes, all of them running on 900 mm (2 ft 11 7⁄16 in) narrow gauge tram lines.
The construction of the Lisbon Metro and the expansion of the bus system began the slow decline of the network.
The five remaining lines only operates in the southern centre and west of the city. Despite the relevant tourist attraction, those lines are still very important because of sections of the city's topography can only be crossed by small trams. Tram 15 also connects the entire western river front of the city to the centre and allows a better flow of passengers with the bus system towards an area that still is not served by the metro.
Tags: tram selective colour color lisbon 28 moniz yellow street portugal
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The Castle of the Moors (Portuguese: Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in the Portuguese village of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality of Sintra. Taken by Christian forces from the Moors after the fall of Lisbon, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, and classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The castle was constructed during the 8th to 9th century, during the period of Muslim Iberia, as the central place in an territory that was immeniently agricultural, and which was necessary to protect its population
After the conquest of Lisbon (1147) by forces loyal to Afonso Henriques, the castle surrendered voluntarily to Christian forces. Afonso Henriques confided the castle's security to 30 inhabitants, conceding them privileges across the foral (charter) signed by the monarch in 1154. The charter suggested the that settlers should occupy and inhabit the castle, as a mechanism for guaranteeing the regions security and development.
In 1375, King Ferdinand I of Portugal, under the counsel of João Annes de Almada, ordered the rebuilding of the castle. While the structure was well fortified by 1383, its military importance was progressively diminishing, as more and more, the inhabitants were abandoning the castle for the old village of Sintra.
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake caused considerable damage to the chapel and affected the stability of the castle, and by 1838, the towers were already in ruins. When in 1840 Ferdinand II of Portugal took up the task of conserving and improving the condition of the castle, in which he committed 240 réis annually. He consolidated the walls, reforested the spaces, created nooks and manicured spaces and conserved the chapel.
Nowadays, the improvements of Ferdinand II are still visible: the castle is still in ruins, but the walls and guarding towers can be visited. Also the chapel is in good condition. It is visible, together with other monuments of Sintra.
Tags: sintra castelo dos mouros portugal castle moors hill tower UNESCO World Heritage
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Torre de Belém is a fortified tower in (Santa Maria de) Belém, a civil parish and suburb of Lisboa, Portugal. Along with the nearby Jerónimos Monastery, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the 15th century, King João II had designed a defense system for the entrance of the Tagus river from the Atlantic Ocean: fortresses near Cascais (north side) and Caparica (south side) and a ship docked on the bank of the Tagus near Belém. João II had a plan to enhance this system by building a guard tower. But before he could realise his plans, he died.
It was twenty years later, when King Manuel I, who revisited the idea, ordered the construction of a military fortification on the northern shore of the Tagus, around the beach in Belém. In 1513, a letter authored by Lourenço Fernandes to his friends, referred to the King's intention to construct a tower in the area of Restelo Velho, having determined it to be necessary.
The beginning of this project developed on a rocky outcropping that was situated some distance from the river, using some of the stones being collected to build the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém. By 1516, Francisco de Arruda was already receiving 763 blocks and 504 stone for the construction, delivered by Diogo Rodrigues, the treasurer and receiver for the project. In 1519, the build had concluded and Gaspar de Paiva was temporarily stationed to command the fortress.
Throughout the years, some fierce battles have been fought near the tower. It has been upgraded with prison cells after the Spanish troops of the Duke of Alba conquered the tower. During this Philippine dynasty (named after the three Spanish kings of this period, all named Felipe) the tower got the visual shape it still today.
Between 1780 and 1782, under the reign of Maria I of Portugal, General Guilherme de Valleré constructed the nearby Forte of Bom Sucesso, whose battery was connected by a western corridor wall to the Tower.
The French invasion of Lisbon, during the Peninsular War, resulted in the quartering of troops in the Tower between 1808 and 1814. After the retreat of French forces, Lord Beresford advised that coastal artillery batteries should be reinforced along the Tagus, and specifically noted that stronger batteries should be placed on the sides of the Tower's bastion, while carts placed to better cover the soldiers, since the walls were very low.
King Miguel I (1828–1834) used the dungeons to imprison his liberal opponents, while on another level it used as a custom house for ships, until the tax on foreign ships was abolished in 1833. The tower received military upgrades in 1589 and 1809–14. For several years (1865–1867) the building began to service new purposes: a beacon was installed on the extreme south-east terrace and a telegraph service was started.
The first moves to preserve and rehabilitate the Tower began in the late part of the 20th century. First, the tower was transferred to the Ministry of Finance in 1940, which undertook small conservation works. The military quarters on the battlements were removed and the inner cloister was built. Later, starting in 1953 (and lasting three years), the architectural landscaper António Viana Barreto executed a plan to integrate the Tower with the local shore. Various projects were undertaken in 1983, when the site hosted the 17th European Exhibition on Art, Science and Culture. In this year, it was also classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
The style of the Tower is Manueline, congruent with the Jerónimos Monastery, but also has Moorish details. This because the architect, Francisco de Arruda, also had built Portuguese fortresses in Morocco, where he was influenced with Moorish styles.
Tags: torre de belem belem belém portugal tagus lisboa lisbon unesco UNESCO World Heritage manueline overview tower battle francisco de arruda moorish moors architecture
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The Câmara Municipal of the Portuguese town Sintra. The Câmara Municipal is the executive body of a municipality in Portugal, so it can be translated as a town hall.
The town hall in Sintra is a gorgeous Neo-Manueline building. It was completed in 1910 and is constructed on the site of the old Chapel of Sao Sebastião.
Neo-Manueline was a revival architecture and decorative arts style developed in Portugal between the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. The style adopted the characteristics of the Manueline (or Portuguese Final Gothic) of the 16th century.
Tags: sintra town hall portugal UNESCO World Heritage Câmara Municipal manueline neo-manueline stadhuis clock tower spire tiles sphere
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