Last week on Old Lisbon we discovered an old Parque Eduardo VII, a beautiful garden, right in the middle of Lisbon. This Friday we don’t travel far. Just a few minutes away from the garden, right after the Marques statue there’s Avenida da Liberdade.
This is Lisbon’s main avenue, a Boulevard. You may call it Lisbon’s version of Paris’ Champs Elysées. This historic avenue has always been reference for the wealthiest classes, still nowadays the sqm price costs over 10 000€! It is considered the 35th most expensive avenue in the world.
Built between 1879 and 1886, it was home to several elegant buildings, although many of them were torn down for newer constructions in the mid-20th century. Still some original buildings still remain, like Prada store. Located on numbers 206-218, it’s decorated with art nouveau glass.
The historical strip is full of landmarks. There are statues of great portuguese writers like Almeida Garrett, Alexandre Herculano and António Feliciano de Castilho, the Monument to the Dead of the Great War.
It’s also the main cultural zone of Lisbon, with Parque Mayer and the oldest theaters of Lisbon. Avenida da Liberdade is also the main stage of the traditional parades of the city’s festivities that take place on the eve of the Santo António de Lisboa night (night of June 12 to 13), in which the neighborhoods of Lisbon compete with each other for the “best march”.
So if you want to live your live with maximum luxury, come to Avenida da Liberdade! A lot of luxury hotels and stores like Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier, Gucci, Versace, Loewe, Carolina Herrera, Bvlgari, Miu Miu, Max Mara, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani (the list goes on…) are waiting for you!
Photos below range from 1912 to 1930. Source.
Jorge Brazil from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil / CC BY
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