Friday it’s throwback time here at TravelToLisbon.app. Today we travel to one of the must famous gardens in Lisbon: Parque Eduardo VII. The park was named after Edward VII, when the king visited Portugal in 1902, in an effort to strengthen the relations between the two countries. Until then it was known as Parque da Liberdade (Freedom Park).
The park has an extension of about twenty-five acres. At the top of the park, in a clearly visible area of the city, is flown a large flag of Portugal that represents the pride of the people in being Portuguese and Lisbon in being the capital of the country like other world capitals.
The central strip, covered with grass, is flanked by long walks of Portuguese sidewalk, dividing the park into two green, wooded areas. In the northwest corner of the park, on the site of an old basalt quarry, is the Cold Greenhouse, with a diversity of exotic plants, streams, waterfalls, palm trees and trails, fuchsias, shrubs in flower and banana trees and the Hot Greenhouse with lush plants, lakes and cacti as well as tropical birds.
Near the greenhouses is a lake with large carp and a park for children to play, in the form of a galleon. On the east side is the current Carlos Lopes Pavilion, a Portuguese structure used in the 1922 Rio de Janeiro International Exhibition and renamed in honor of the winner of the 1984 Olympic marathon.
At the northern top there is a monumental viewpoint where the Monument was erected on April 25, flanked by 2 sets of 2 obelisks of inspiration “authoritarian” of the original design of the Park. Lisbon Book Fair happens here, every year.
The current configuration of the park was designed by architect Francisco Keil do Amaral in 1942, year when must of the photos were taken. Source.
