Portugal for

Architecture

A riot of different architectural styles can be seen around the country. Of course, there are plenty of azulejo-bedecked buildings, but there are also intriguing examples of the Manueline style, which is unique to Portugal, as well as bold contemporary constructions.

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t The curvaceous MAAT, designed by Amanda Levete Architects

Modern Icons

Lisbon boasts buildings by some of the world’s leading contemporary architects. In the Parque das Nações, you’ll find Santiago Calatrava’s cavernous Oriente station. The sleek MAAT, with its walkable wave-like roof, is a museum showcasing the best in architecture and design. Look out for Álvaro Siza Vieira’s constructions in Lisbon’s Chiado district and beyond the capital.

Glitzy Gothic

Churches and palaces in the Gothic style date from the Middle Ages. They include Portugal’s oldest surviving palace, the Palácio Nacional de Sintra. Despite its plain façade, the construction is anything but simple; note the distinctive conical chimneys. Other Gothic gems are the Mosteiro de Alcobaça and Bragança’s citadel.

Magnificent Manueline Marvels

The reign of Manuel I (1469–1521) was a period of enormous wealth for Portugal. The country exploited newly conquered territories, and lavish buildings are a reminder of this today. Funded largely by the spice and gold trade, the 16th-century Mosteiro dos Jerónimos in Lisbon is a riot of maritime-themed stonework, including ropes and anchors. The style was pioneered by João de Castilho (1470–1552) and Diogo de Boitaca (1460–1528), who built the cloisters here, as well as the Torre de Belém.

Baroque Giants

Designed by João Frederico Ludovice (1673–1752), the vast Palácio de Mafra is Portugal’s best example of the over-the-top Baroque style, with a 200-m- (656-ft-) long façade and some 156 staircases. To the north, Porto was the stomping ground of Italian Nicolau Nasoni (1691–1773), who designed the Torre and Igreja dos Clérigos and Paço Episcopal.

Art Deco Gems

From railway stations such as Cais do Sodré to the A Brasileira café, Lisbon is full of bold early 20th-century designs. Porto’s iconic Fundação de Serralves (Rua Dom João de Castro 210; www.serralves.pt) is partly housed in Portugal’s most notable Art Deco villa. Take a tour with an architect or artist.

Álvaro Siza Vieira

Álvaro Siza Vieira (born 1933) is Portugal’s most famous architect. He won the prestigious Pritzker Prize in 1992 for his renovation of Lisbon’s Chiado district, after it was largely destroyed by a fire in 1988. Known for his Modernist clean lines and simplicity, he also worked on the Portuguese National Pavilion – famed for its huge, sagging concrete canopy – built for Expo 98. Many of his works are in his native Porto, including the remarkable sea bathing pool complex at Leça de Palmeira, just north of the city, that he created in the 1960s.

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