Praça do Império
Empire Square
Praça do Império | |
|---|---|
 View of the Praça do Império in front of the Monastery of the Jeronimos | |
| Etymology: Portuguese Empire | |
| Nickname: Named for | |
  Empire Square Location of the manorhouse within the municipality of Lisbon | |
| Coordinates: 38°41′47″N 9°12′27″W / 38.69639°N 9.20750°W | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Lisboa |
| Subregion | Grande Lisboa |
| District | Lisbon |
| Municipality | Lisbon |
| Origin | 20th century |
| Management | Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico |
| Operator | Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, local administration (Article III, 23 122, 11 October 1933) |
| Status | Included in the Special Protection Zone (ZPE) of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém (v. IPA.00006543) |
The Praça do Império (Empire Square) is a city square and park situated adjacent to principal monuments and tourist attractions in the civil parish of Belém, municipality and Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
History
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Between 23 June and 2 December 1940, Lisbon realized the Exposição do Mundo Português (Portuguese World Exposition), that included an urbanization plan that encompassed the area of Belém, that included the Praça do Império.[1] The sculptures of the seahorses, that dominate the site, were completed by sculptor António Duarte were installed in 1940.[1]
A project to construct the Palácio do Ultramar (Overseas Palace) was initiated in 1952, situated on the eastern edge of the park, authored by architects Cristino da Silva and Jacques Carlu.[1]
In 1973, a commemorative monument to the poet Augusto Gil (1873-1929) was installed on the site, that included a bronze medallion and inscription by the municipal council of Lisbon.[1]
The roads around the square were used as a special stage in the 2011 to 2014 Rally de Portugal.
Architecture
[edit]The park is situated to the south of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Belém and west of the Centro Cultural de Belém.[1]
The rectangular 175 by 175 metres (574 ft × 574 ft) square consists of successive quadrangles, that structure the space into passages and greenspaces.[1] These converge in the central illuminated fountain on a square platform, covering an area of 3,300 square metres (36,000 sq ft).[1] On the extreme edges of the southern part of the square, along the Avenida da Índia are hippocamp statues (seahorses), over reflecting pools.[1]
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]Sources
[edit]- "A acção da Câmara Municipal de Lisboa na Exposição do Mundo Português", Revista Municipal (in European Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal, 1940, pp. 24–26
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - "A fonte luminosa da Praça do Império, Nova maravilha de Lisboa", Revista Municipal (in European Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal, 1963, pp. 31–33
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Acciaiuoli, Margarida (1998), Exposições do Estado Novo, 1934 -1940 (in European Portuguese), Livros Horizonte
- Ferreira, Rafael Laborde; Vieria, Victor Manuel Lopes (1985), Estatuária de Lisboa (in European Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Amigos do Livro, Lda.
- Nobre, Pedro Nunes (2010), Belém e a Exposição do Mundo Português: Cidade, Urbanidade e Património Urbano, Projeto de mestrado em Património Urbano da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (in European Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal: Universidade Nova de Lisboa