Baixa, Lisbon

Baixa is regarded as the real center of Lisbon. It lies in a hollow between Bairro Alto and Chiado in the west and the opposite quarter which rises up to Castelo de Sao Jorge.

During the time when the Lisbon area was first settled the whole of Baixa remained flooded with water from the Tagus; up at Rossio two tributaries of the Tagus converged.

Picture - Open roof of Igreja do Carmo ruins in Lisbon.

Picture - the Placa do Comercio in Lisbon.

Picture - Lisbon Arch of Triumph, Arco Triunfal.

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Baixa Map

Important Information:

Transit: Subway: Rossio; Tram: 3, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26, 28, 28B.

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Present day Baixa is particularly noteworthy as an urban development area. This part of Lisbon was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. Afterwards town planners were faced with alternatives typical of such a situation; either to reconstruct the quarter exactly as it was before or to create a completely new structure. Moving the center of the city towards Belém was also discussed at this time.

Minister Josés I, the Marques de Pombal, assumed leadership of the reconstruction. Pombal is considered the forerunner of Benevolent Despotism in Portugal; rational and functional planning were essential parts of his political thought. The controversial minister decided on a completely new remodeling based on a plan which would give the new quarter a strongly geometric, easily comprehensible structure, corresponding to his understanding of the world. This concept was ahead of its time and foresaw a "chess board layout" of the streets as they had been constructed in Greek cities in the fifth C. B.C.

The Praça do Comércio on the river bank was linked to the more northerly Rossio and the Praça da Figueira by means of right angled streets dissecting a long field. The grid like area of Baixa thus stands in stark contrast to the neighboring quarters of the old city with their twisting and confused streets and alleyways.

The main three architects who were involved in the construction of the so called Pombal lower city were Manuel de Maia, who had made a name for himself through the building of the aqueduct, Eugénio dos Santos and the Hungerian Carlos Mardel.

One criterion was of prime importance: houses were to be built that would stand less danger of collapse during an earthquake. For this reason buildings were to be no more than two stories high. This was economically unrealistic for future owners of properties in such a central position. Finally a half timbered construction was developed, whose stability and elasticity permitted buildings of up to a maximum of five stories.

Characteristic of the construction of the lower part of the city was the standardized uniformity in its appearance. Height, roof shape and size of windows of the new houses were originally the same. Many new buildings have since been constructed in a divergent form so that the Pombal concept no longer appears so obvious. Recently attempts have been made during renovation to preserve at least the facades of the many extremely dilapidated buildings.

The quarter between Rossio and the Praça do Comércio is today above all a quarter of shops and banks. The roads running from north to south were each originally assigned to a specific craft guild or profession. Road names such as Rua dos Douradores (Gilders' Street), Rua dos Sapateiros (Shoemakers' Street) or Rua Aurea (also known as Rua do Ouro) and Rua da Prata (gold and silversmiths) provide continuing evidence of this. In the wider main streets, Rua Aurea and Rua da Prata, and in the now pedestrianized Rua Augusta (whose mosaic design was resurfaced in 1989) mostly larger, very elegant shops prevail today. In the narrow side streets, however, simpler shops and workshops are still to be found.

During the day Baixa is very lively but after the shops have closed it appears deserted and dead; few restaurants or cafes remain open at this time of day.

Related Attractions

Praça do Comércio

Praça do Comércio was originally a famous square where kings would be received or public events would be held. A number of historical structures stand on the square.

Highlights:	José I Memorial	Arco Triunfal

Igreja do Carmo

The Gothic style Igreja do Carmo was all but destroyed in an earthquake. Today the interior houses the National Museum of Archeology.

Highlights:	National Museum of Archaeology	Guarda Nacional Republicana

Fig Tree Square

The Praça da Figueira, located immediately next to the Rossio, is part of the urban development concept of Pombal's lower city. It is directly linked to the Praça do Comércio by the lively Rua da Prata. Although the square has many shops, in comparison to the neighboring Rossio, it appears considerably quieter, a result essentially of the fewer cars using it. This may also be one of the reasons why the typical uniformity of building in the Baixa is more noticeable here than in the Rossio.

In 1755 a large market was set up here and in 1885 covered markets were built which gave the square a completely different character. Lively business was the order of the day here, especially in the mornings, and the square with the all day market became a popular tourist attraction. In the middle of the 20th century the covered markets were pulled down.

In their place, in the middle of the Praça da Figueira, there now stands a bronze statue which commemorates the first king of the House of Avis, Joao I, depicted astride a horse. The statue is the work of the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida.

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Hospital de S. José

Before the earthquake a large hospital, the Todos-os-Santos Hospital, stood on this site. It is easily recognizable in old views of the city. In 1755 the hospital was housed in the 16th C. former Jesuit monastery of Santo Antao-o-Novo, where it still exists today as the Hospital de S. José.

Museum of Ethnography

The Museum of Ethnography is attached to the Geographical Society (Sociedade de Geografia). This was founded in 1875 and moved into its present accommodation in 1907. The building in the Rua das Portas de Santo Antao contains conference rooms, several fine old halls and a specialist library. Statues of the most important people in Portuguese history stand in the spacious entrance hall.

The somewhat antiquated Museu Etnográfico on one of the upper floors was founded in 1892. A guided tour includes the opportunity to look at exhibits from overseas which document Portugal's era of colonialism. Tools, weapons, textiles, masks, wooden carvings, old toys and ceramics can be seen in show cases arranged according to their country of origin. Of interest is a wooden statue of Anthony, who was held in Angola to have magic powers, in direct contrast to the importance which St Anthony has for Lisbon. Also included among the exhibition pieces is a chair belonging to Pedro V (1855-91), king of the Congo.

The old rooms in which the collection is housed are also very impressive: the large hall (Sala de Portugal) with its beautiful gallery, which is also used for conferences and concerts, and several smaller halls (Sala Algarve, Sala Padroes, Sala da India), which have recently been partly renovated.

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City Hall

Lisbon's city hall, called the Paços do Conselho, stands on the east side of the Praça do Municipio. A building, whose east wing accommodated the city council, was built on this site in 1774 but was completely burned down in 1863. In 1875 the current building was completed.

The Neo-Classical facade appears very plain in contrast to the interior. Allegorical figures in the tympanum represent freedom, the arts, the sciences, trade, etc. The interior of the city hall has been lavishly and prestigiously arranged in an eclectic stringing together of the most varied styles. Enormous wooden doors lead off from the stair well, which is covered by a cupola roof, into the individual rooms. The walls are wood paneled and covered in part with lavish wood carving. Vivid wall decorations and painting made to look like carving have been closely juxtaposed just like Neo Baroque and Neo Classical creations of form. The ceiling decoration in the rooms is by famous Lisbon artists such as José Malhoa and Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro; various busts are the work of the sculptor Teixeira Lopes.

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Pelourinho

A so called pelourinho, an 18th C. pillory, stands on the rather unspectacular square in front of the city hall. From the 12th until the 18th C. pelourinhos were erected in many towns in Portugal; they served less to punish convicts but were far more a symbol of the town's jurisdiction. The rather fragile looking pillory in front of the Lisbon city hall evokes Manueline associations: it consists of three stone bands which in turn have been wound into a spiral. The pillars are crowned by a bronze armillary sphere.

Roman Springs

After the disaster of the earthquake excavations were made under the foundations of the houses that had been destroyed and underground springs dating from Roman times were discovered. Today they are occasionally opened to the public and can be reached through an entrance in the Rua da Prata (between the Rua da Conceiçao and the Rua da Sao Juliao).

Ermida Nossa Senhora da Vitória

Located inconspicuously in the most westerly corner of the Rua da Vitória is the Nossa Senhora da Vitória chapel. An earlier church dating from 1556 was destroyed by the earthquake. It was rebuilt in 1765 and restored in 1940. The uniform and sparsely decorated interior radiates a unique atmosphere, which emanates mainly from the poor candle lighting.

Natural light only penetrates through a small window and a few fanlights. The small interior, with just one aisle, has a barrel vaulted ceiling, which is continued at a lower level above the chancel. On the side walls two small altars and tiling attract the visitor's attention.

Igreja de Madalena

On the eastern edge of Baixa the portal of the Igreja de Madalena on the small Largo da Madalena stands out, having been integrated into an 18th C. facade with a single tower. The church was built in 1783, the substantially older portal comes from a small 12th C. church. The height of the single aisled interior and the bright light entering through the high window above the eight side altars comes as a surprise. The ceiling is decorated with fifteen symmetrically arranged medallion paintings. The painting on the high altar is by Pedro Alexandrino.

Animatógrapho do Rossio

The Animatógrapho do Rossio in the Rua dos Sapateiros was one of Lisbon's first cinemas. It was opened in December 1907 by the Cardoso Correia brothers. They placed particular emphasis on decorating the Art Nouveau facade (which has since been slightly altered) in a typically Portuguese style; tiles hand-painted by Jorge Pinto and Baroque-style wood carving adorn its front. The Animatógrapho remains a cinema today - though not showing particularly high quality films.

Igreja de Sao Nicolau

The Igreja de Sao Nicolau on the Rua da Vitória was founded in the 13th C. The construction of the present church was begun in 1780 and completed in 1850. It is noteworthy on the one hand because of its location - the uniformity of the buildings is somewhat less monotonous here - and on the other because of the tiling on the exterior walls. The painting in the interior is the work of Pedro Alexandrino.