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Príncipe Real · Parks & Gardens

Jardim do Príncipe Real occupies the middle of the main square in the Príncipe Real district of Lisbon, at Praça do Príncipe Real. Laid out in 1863, it is a romantic garden ringed by elegant buildings. It follows the English romantic style, and its official name is Jardim França Borges. Winding flower beds curve around a large octagonal pond, giving the layout a spontaneous look, and large exotic plants, including rubber trees, grow here. The garden's emblem is a Cupressus lusitanica, its top propped up by a metal structure so that the canopy shades an area 20m across. In 1940 it became the first tree in Lisbon classified as being of public interest. A second guide describes it as a parasol-like cedar, beneath which young couples sit, old men play cards and children run around a small playground. Facing the tree stands a memorial to the victims of homophobia, erected in 2017, since this has traditionally been Lisbon's gayborhood. It alludes to a closet door, shaped as a male on one side and a female on the other. The plateau has been known as Alto da Cotovia since the 15th century. After the earthquake of 1755, military regiments that came to help Lisbon camped here, and a new Patriarchal was completed on the site in 1761. A fire damaged it eight years later, and another fire two years after that destroyed the remains, so the place became known as Patriarcal Queimada. Work on the present space began in the mid-19th century, and the square was officially named Príncipe Real in 1859. A café with outdoor seating and two kiosks serving refreshments stand in the garden. Every Saturday an organic farmers' market sells fruit and vegetables, and on the last Saturday and Monday of each month a crafts and antiques market takes place. Underneath lies a stone reservoir from the 1800s, part of the city's aqueduct and Water Museum, open for visits on weekends. Across the square, Palacete Ribeiro da Cunha has a Moorish exterior from 1877, with shops and a restaurant around an inner courtyard. Tram 24 from Praça Luís de Camões in Chiado stops by the garden, as does bus 758 from outside Cais do Sodré train station. Rato metro station, the last stop of the yellow line, is less than 10 minutes away on foot. The Botanical Garden is nearby, and the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint is about 5 minutes away.