Castelo de Sao Jorge
Located on the highest of Lisbon’s seven hills, São Jorge Castle is the city’s most visited tourist site and presents the most impressive view of Lisbon and the River Tejo.
Castelo de Sao Jorge occupies the site of the former Moorish castle dating from the 10th century. The castle was conquered in 1147 by the crusaders led by Dom Afonso Henriques, the founder, and the first king to call himself “King of Portugal”.
Inside the walls, a metal statue over a cylindrical stone plinth (statue base) pays homage to Portugal’s first king.
By the 16th century, the royal residence moved to a new palace located in Terreiro do Paço. The castle was then used as a prison and later as an army barracks.
The Castelejo (Upper Castle), which was built in the 11th century during the Moorish period, corresponds to the castle's inner defensive part and is strategically located at the top of the hill.
The earthquake of 1755 led to the growing degradation of the castle walls, but in the 1940s, the walls were renovated and partly recreated by Salazar’s architects. Later, in the 1990s, the castle was further restored for the Expo 98 event.
The Castle has a
viewpoint and a series of gardens filled with Portuguese forest species, such
as cork oak, olive, carob, umbrella pine, and fruit trees around the Paço da
Alcáçova;
The Castle retains
eleven towers, a cistern, and the Door of Treason, used by secret messengers;
There is a periscope inside the Ulysses Tower,
with a giant camera obscura that offers a unique real-time 360-degree angle on
Lisbon;
The archaeological site uncovers three main
periods in the history of Lisbon: the first settlements around the 7th century
BC, the Moorish period till the 11th century, and the ruins of the Paço da
Alcáçova.
The buildings are now housing the Permanent
Exhibition and Restaurants Casa do Leão, as well as the surrounding area, which offers some evidence of the former Paço da Alcáçova.
