'Lisbon' (, ) is the
capital and largest city of
Portugal. It is also the seat of the
district of Lisbon and capital of the
Lisbon region. Its
municipality, which matches the city proper excluding the larger continuous conurbation, has a municipal population of 564,477
[1] in 84.8 km², 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).
[2] Due to its
economic output,
standard of living, and
market size, the
Grande Lisboa (Greater Lisbon) subregion is among the major
financial and
economic centers of the
Iberian Peninsula. It is also the political center of the country, as seat of
government and residence of the
Head of State.
Lisbon was under
Roman rule from
205 BC;
Julius Caesar made it a municipium called ''Felicitas Julia''. 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.
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.
The present mayor is António Luís dos Santos da Costa, elected by the
Socialist Party.
The municipal holiday is
June 13,
St. Anthony's Day.
Geography and location
Historical map of Lisbon
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 84.8 km². 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,
Cacém,
Odivelas,
Almada,
Barreiro,
Loures, 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 square
miles).
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.
Archeological findings show that a
Phoenician influence existed in the place that, since 1200 B.C., leading some historians to the theory that a Phoenician trading post occupied the site of the centre of the present city, in the southern slope of the Castle hill. The magnificent harbour provided by the
estuary of the river
Tagus made it the 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 probably taken advantage of the situation of the 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 then widely famous
Lusitanian horses.
Recently, Phoenician remains from the eighth century B.C. were found beneath the
Middle Age Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon See) or main
Cathedral of the modern city. Most modern historians
[3], however, consider the idea of a Phoenician foundation of the city of Lisbon, as unreal. At best Lisbon was an ancient autochthonous settlement (what the Romans called an
Oppidum) that maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, which accounts 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's travels were in the Atlantic as
Cailleux[4] 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 (Cape of St. Vincent), in a south-east direction, to reach his home land
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'.
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 in 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, 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.
Roman Lisbon's most famous son was
Sertorius who 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 Hispania, and called ''Ulishbona''.
Moorish rule
In approximately
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 heavy
Dhimmi status and were forced 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 while ruled by
Sabur al-Saqlabi (Sabur the Slav) son of
Sabur al-Jatib, a
Slav that had been at the service of
al-Hakam II.
In
1147, as part of the
Reconquista, knights, led by
Afonso I of Portugal,
sieged and reconquered Lisbon. Lisbon was now back in Christian hands.
The reconquest of Portugal and re-establishment of Christianity is one of the most significant events in Lisbon's history; although it is known that there was a bishop in the town that was killed by the crusades 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, and 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 XV to XVII 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.
:''See
Portuguese Empire''.
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 flooded the country and city, allowing
King John V to sponsor the building of several
Baroque churches and theatres in the town.
On
1 November 1755 Lisbon was destroyed by
another earthquake, which killed between 60,000 and 90,000 people and destroyed eighty-five percent of the city
[1]. 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.''
After the 1755 earthquake, the city was rebuilt largely according to the plans of
Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, the
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 and Queen
Maria I and Prince-Regent
João (future John VI) temporarily fled 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''). Today there are 3 public universities in the city (
University of Lisbon,
Technical University of Lisbon and
New University of Lisbon) and a public university institute (
ISCTE) - see
list of universities in Portugal.
''
Parque das Nações'' (Nations' Park), where the Expo 98 took place and now a venue for important shows and festivals.
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.
Every March the city hosts the world-famous
Lisbon Half Marathon, one of the most attended events of its kind in the world.
It regularly hosts countless other international events including various
NATO,
European Union and other summits.
In January
2006 and
2007, Lisbon was the starting city of the
Dakar Rally.
Rock in Rio was held in Lisbon twice, hosting concerts of many high profile singers and bands, such as
Anastacia,
Metallica,
Shakira,
Guns N' Roses,
Roger Waters,
Britney Spears and many more.
Climate
Lisbon is one of the mildest European capitals. Spring is cool to warm (between 10°C and 27°C) with plenty of sunshine and also some showers. Summer months are mostly sunny, dry and hot with temperatures between 16°C to 36°C. Autumn is mild and unsettled with temperatures between 8°C and 23°C and winters are typically rainy, windy and cool with some sunny days (temperatures between 2°C and 18°C), usually staying at an average of 10°C. Snowfall is a very rare occurrence — Lisbon briefly witnessed snow on
January 29,
2006 and
January 28 2007 thanks to cold waves from the
Arctic that affected Europe in those days. Before 2006, no snowfall had been registered for over forty years, just some sleety days. On average, there are 3300 sunny hours per year and 100 days with rain per year. Lisbon's climate is strongly influenced by the
Gulf Stream.
The seaside promenade, at the Nations' Park.
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
[2] (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 6,658 inhabitants per km².
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.
[5]
Culture and sights
The heart of the city is the ''
Baixa'' (Downtown) or city centre; this area of the city is being considered for
UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The ''Baixa'' is organised in a grid system and a network of squares built after the
1755 Lisbon earthquake, which levelled a great portion of the medieval city. The
Castle of São Jorge and the
Lisbon Cathedral are located on one of the seven hills of Lisbon, to the east of the ''Baixa''. The oldest district of the city is
Alfama, close to the Tagus, which has made it relatively unscathed through the various earthquakes.
Other monuments include:
the
Castle of São Jorge, atop the tallest hill of the central city,
Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) with the beautiful façade of the
Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha nearby,
Rossio Square,
Restauradores Square,
Elevador de Santa Justa, an
elevator (lift) in
Gothic revival style, built around
1900 to connect the Baixa and Bairro Alto, the richly-decorated
Church of São Roque,
Jerónimos Monastery,
Belém Tower,
Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) and
Carmo Convent.
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 Mello, Avenida Almirante Reis and Avenida da República (Republic Avenue).
A view of Amoreiras, the top of one of the hills of Lisbon
The most famous museums in Lisbon are the
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art), the
Museu dos Azulejos (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 largest in Europe), the
Museu Nacional do Traje e da Moda (National Museum of Costume and Fashion), the
Museu do Design at Centro Cultural de Belém (Design Museum), the
Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum, containing one of the largest collections of royal coaches in the world) and the
Museu da Farmácia (Pharmacy Museum).
Partial view of Lisbon, viewed from Cacilhas.
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 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 largest park located in the centre of the city, prolonging the main avenue (
Avenida da Liberdade). Named after
Edward VII of England who visited it when it was inaugurated, it includes a large variety of plants in a large winter garden (Estufa Fria).
Lisbon is home every year to the
Lisbon Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.
[6]
Economy
.jpg)
''Vasco da Gama Shopping Mall'', at the Nations' Park.
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.
Lisbon Metropolitan Area is heavily industrialized, especially the south bank of the Tagus river (Rio Tejo).
.jpg)
Lisbon's seaport by the Tagus estuary
The country's chief seaport and featuring one of the largest and most sophisticated regional markets within 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
One of the ferries that connect both sides of the
Tagus river.
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 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)
There are other commuter bus services from the city: Vimeca (
[3]), Rodoviaria de Lisboa (
[4]), Transportes Sul do Tejo (
[5]), Boa Viagem (
[6]), Barraqueiro (
[7]) 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 as well as a fourth line to
Setúbal crossing the
Tagus river over the
25 de Abril Bridge.
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:
★ The
25 de Abril Bridge, inaugurated (as Ponte
Salazar) on
August 6 1966, and later renamed after the date of the
Carnation Revolution, was the longest
suspension bridge in Europe and although made by the same engineers as the
Golden Gate Bridge in
San Francisco, it is not, as thought by some, a replica (the Golden Gate Bridge does not have X braces).
★ The
Vasco da Gama Bridge, inaugurated on May 1998 is, at 17.2 km, the longest bridge in Europe.
Another way of crossing the river is by taking the ferry. The main company is Transtejo (
[8]), which operates from different points in the city to
Cacilhas,
Seixal,
Montijo,
Porto Brandão and
Trafaria and the other company is Soflusa (
[9]), operating one only line to
Barreiro.
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 in Lisbon
The city has several private and public
secondary schools,
primary schools as well as
kindergartens. In Greater Lisbon area there are also international schools such as
Saint Julian's School, the
Carlucci American International School of Lisbon,
St Dominic's International School, Deutsche Schule Lissabon, and Lycée Francais Charles Lepierre.
There are 4 major
public universities in Lisbon: the
University of Lisbon (founded in
1911 it is Lisbon's oldest higher education institution in continuous operation), the
Technical University of Lisbon, the
New University of Lisbon and the
ISCTE, providing degrees in the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, law, education, sports, architecture, social sciences and humanities. There is also a state-run
polytechnic institute, the
Polytechnical Institute of Lisbon. Major private institutions of higher education include the
Portuguese Catholic University, as well as the
Moderna University, the
Lusíada University, the
Universidade Lusófona and the
Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa.
Sport
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
SL Benfica, with its home 65,000 seat stadium the
UEFA 5-Star 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, the most prestigious European football title, and was seven times in the final match of this league.
Sporting Clube de Portugal is the other major football team from the city, also having a UEFA 5-Star 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 the third most 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.
Tourist attractions
Jazz club, in Lisbon
Belém
Along the ''Rio Tejo'' (Tagus River), is the historic neighborhood of Belém. Its prime attraction is the grand Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. Construction started in
1501, and took 70 years to complete. During its construction, the monastery cost an equivalent of 70 kg of gold each year. Most of the construction costs were financed through the spice trade. It is a prime example of what is called Manueline architecture, with inspiration brought back from the explorations, as well as being influenced by the Gothic and Renaissance periods. Nearby is the
Belem Tower.
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.
Gare do Oriente
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 great architect
Santiago Calatrava from Valencia (Spain). Cross through the shopping mall just across the street and you're in Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations), site of the 1998 World Expo.
Lisbon Trams and Funiculars
Transportation in Lisbon is more charming than in most cities. Much is owed to its geography; much 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.
[7].
[8]
Parishes
There are 53 ''
freguesias'' (
civil parishes) in Lisbon:
★ Ajuda
★ Alcântara
★ Alto do Pina
★ Alvalade
★ Ameixoeira
★ Anjos
★ Beato
★ Benfica
★ Campo Grande
★ Campolide
★ Carnide
★ Castelo
★ Charneca
★ Coração de Jesus
★ Encarnação
★ Graça
★ Lapa
★ Lumiar |
★ Madalena
★ Mártires
★ Marvila
★ Mercês
★ Nossa Senhora de Fátima
★ Pena
★ Penha de França
★ Prazeres
★ Sacramento
★ Santa Catarina
★ Santa Engrácia
★ Santa Isabel
★ Santa Justa
★ Santa Maria de Belém
★ Santa Maria dos Olivais
★ Santiago
★ Santo Condestável
★ Santo Estêvão |
★ Santos-o-Velho
★ São Cristóvão e 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
★ São Sebastião da Pedreira
★ São Vicente de Fora
★ Sé
★ Socorro |
Furthermore, and more commonly referred to by its inhabitants, Lisbon is divided into historical "bairros" with no clearly defined boundaries, such as ''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)
★
Antonio Vieira (
1608-
1697),
Jesuit
★
Catherine of Braganza (
1638-
1705),
queen consort of King
Charles II of England
★
Richard William Church (
1815-
1890)
★
Egas Moniz (
1874-
1955),
physician,
neurologist and
Nobel Prize in Medicine in
1949
★
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 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
★
Pedro Santana Lopes (born
1956), former Mayor of Lisbon and Prime-Minister
Gallery
Sister cities
The following places are
sister cities to Lisbon:
★ '
Montreal' ,
Canada
★
Jersey City,
New Jersey,
United States
★ '
Paris',
France
★ '
Budapest',
Hungary ''(1992)''
★ '
Zagreb',
Croatia ''(1977)''
★ '
Madrid',
Spain ''(1979)''
★ '
Nicosia',
Cyprus
★ '
Buenos Aires',
Argentina
★ '
Macau',
People's Republic of China
Within the context of development cooperation, Lisbon is also linked to:
★ '
Bissau',
Guinea-Bissau
★ '
Brasilia',
Brazil
★ '
Cacheu',
Guinea-Bissau
★ '
Luanda',
Angola
★ '
Malacca',
Malaysia ''(1984)''
★ '
Maputo',
Mozambique
★ '
Praia',
Cape Verde
★ '
Rabat',
Morocco'
★ '
Rio de Janeiro',
Brazil ''(1980)''
★ '
São Paulo',
Brazil
★ '
São Tomé',
São Tomé and Príncipe
References
1. UMA POPULAÇÃO QUE SE URBANIZA, Uma avaliação recente - Cidades, 2004 Nuno Pires Soares, Instituto Geográfico Português (Geographic Institute of Portugal)
2. Fernando Nunes da Silva (2005), Alta Velocidade em Portugal, Desenvolvimento Regional, CENSUR, IST
3. (dir.), ''História de Portugal. Primeiro Volume: Antes de Portugal'', Lisboa, Círculo de Leitores, 1992 - in Portuguese.
4. Pays Atlantiques décrits par Homère, Th. Cailleux, 1879, Paris.
5. ''Classificação Expresso das melhores cidades portuguesas para viver em 2007'', Expresso
6. Official web-site.
7. [10] Information from Carris, Lisbon transportation company.
8. [11] Details of Lisbon's trams, from Luso Pages
External links
★
Lisbon city guide - A visual guide to Lisbon
★
Câmara Municipal de Lisboa - Official page of the city
★
★
Alfama & Castelo Lisbon's districts Photographic essay with captions about the oldest districts of Lisbon.
★
Lisbon Guide A Travel Guide to the city
★
Visit Portugal: Lisbon Past and Present - Official page by the Government of Portugal
★
Associação de Turismo de Lisboa - Official site of the Lisbon Tourism Association
★
OTLIS - Official site of the Lisbon Region Transport Operators Consortium
★
Photos from Lisbon
★
Lisbon Photos
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