Restaurants, bars and museums in Lisbon · Page 47

Afonso de Albuquerque Square

Belém · Squares, Streets & Bridges

Afonso de Albuquerque Square, known in Portuguese as Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, is a public square in the Belém district of Lisbon, with the postal address 1300-995 Lisboa. It lies in front of Belém Palace, a palace from the early 18th century that now serves as the residence of the President of Portugal, and the square offers views of the building. One source describes it as a formal, manicured garden. The square is named after Afonso de Albuquerque, the Second Governor of Portuguese India. He was a 16th-century naval general who helped establish the Portuguese empire in the Indian Ocean. A visitor guide adds that he carved out an empire in India and parts of South East Asia, that he was a knight of the Order of St James, and that he counts among the great Portuguese heroes of the Age of Discoveries. Another guide presents Belém as the place from which Portuguese seafarers set sail in the 15th and 16th centuries, and it lists Albuquerque among those seafarers. The square is anchored by a neo-Manueline monument made by the artists Silva Pinto and Costa Mota tio and inaugurated in 1902. It carries a bronze statue of Albuquerque and reliefs about his life. Another source credits the statue to the sculptor Costa Mota and says the figure stands on a white stone column, with lawns, small ponds and fountains around it. For photography, early morning or late afternoon light falls on the white stone monument and the pastel facades around the square. The site was once a harbour, built in 1753. In 1807, Queen Mary I, Prince John VI and the royal family left Lisbon from this harbour for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, fleeing the Napoleonic troops that had invaded Portugal. Tram 15E from central Lisbon reaches the square, as does the Cascais Line train to Belém Station, which is a short walk away. Another guide notes that the line runs from Cais do Sodré and that tram 15 serves the area. The National Coach Museum is next door, and part of its collection is housed in the former riding school of Belém Palace. The statue and park stand just outside the Museu da Presidência da República, and the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém, where visitors can try a traditional pastel de nata, is a 5-minute walk away. The Planetário de Marinha is nearby too. Because the square faces the presidential residence, security personnel or official motorcars are occasionally visible.

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