Praca do Comercio (Commerce Square)

The Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) was the centerpiece of the remaking that occurred after the seismic tremor of 1755 had decreased Lisbon to rubble. Its primary fascination is a momentous equestrian statue of King José I.

Throughout the most recent hundreds of years various parades, merriments, shows and even executions have occurred here. The square has additionally been the scene of notable occasions, for example, the twofold death on February 1908, when King Carlos and Luis Filipe – the beneficiary to the throne – were killed here. In 1974 a large number of individuals amassed on the square amid the unrest that toppled the authoritarian administration.

The square is ordinarily known as the Terreiro do Paço (Palace Square), for the sixteenth-century Ribeira Palace that remained here until it was obliterated by the crushing seismic tremor of 1755. The palace was a standout amongst the most amazing structures in Portugal, embellished with numerous masterpieces and home to a vast library containing more than 70,000 books.

Soon after the quake the Marquis of Pombal, executive of ruler José I, composed the recreation of the city. The memorable maze of boulevards close to the royal residence was totally flattened and another systematic road matrix was made.

As a component of the reproduction Pombal additionally arranged the production of another extensive square, intended to opponent Europe’s most amazing squares. Eugénio dos Santos and his associate Carlos Mardel were in charge of the outline of the new square, which was named Praça do Comércio. On one side it opens onto the Tagus stream while alternate sides are flanked by stately government structures with excellent arcades confronting the square.

The centerpiece of the Praça do Comércio is the equestrian statue of José I (Joseph I), made by Joaquim Machado de Castro, one of Portugal’s most popular stone carvers.

An alternate noteworthy landmark is the Arco da Rua Augusta, a triumphal curve that prompts the Rua Augusta, a flawlessly cleared pedestrianized road. At long last finished in 1873, the amazing curve demonstrates the symbolic figure of Glory delegated Genius and Bravery. Underneath them are critical recorded figures and figurative representations of the waterways Tagus and Douro.

The Praça do Comércio is totally pedestrianized despite the fact that it is limited to the north and south by vigorously trafficked streets.

Cross the road simply south of the square to achieve the Cais das Colunas (Columns Pier), a wonderful wharf with a wide marble stairway that for a considerable length of time was the primary door to the city. Dignitaries landed here by vessel and strolled straight to the close-by royal residence. It is named for the two tall sections before the wharf.

In 1997 the wharf was disassembled because of the development of an underground metro line yet it was restored to its unique appearance in 2008. The Cais das Colunas is frequently packed with sightseers getting a charge out of completely open perspectives over the Tagus River.