European Ribbon

📖  Introduction

While wandering through Lisbon, you might find yourself wondering where the Royal Palace is. It certainly isn’t 🔗 St. George’s Castle, as the kings ceased to reside there at the beginning of the 16th century. Nor is it the Ribeira Palace, which was destroyed in the catastrophic earthquake of 1755, while the last king only abdicated in 1910. So, where did the last kings of Portugal live?

Nestled on a hill, far from the historic center, in a picturesque area with views over the Tagus River, lies the Palace of Ajuda. This somewhat hidden gem, built over more than 200 years, served as the official residence of the Portuguese royal family from 1861 to 1910. Today, it houses a museum, and is the only royal palace in Lisbon with preserved authentic 19th-century interiors.

👑 The Royal Palace at the End of the Kingdom

After the tragic earthquake of 1755, which fortunately spared the royal family physically, the Ribeira Palace, located where Praça do Comércio is today, was destroyed. This disaster profoundly affected King José I, who not only feared living in Lisbon but was also terrified of stone buildings. Consequently, on a distant hill, away from the river and the earthquake’s devastation, he ordered the construction of wooden structures to house the royal apartments. These were called the royal barracks or the wooden palace. Ironically, this construction, meant to protect from one natural disaster, fell victim to another and burned down in 1794.

Nevertheless, the location remained, and from 1796, the Ajuda Palace was built over the next 200 years.

The palace’s construction coincided with the end of Portugal’s prosperity, which had intermittently lasted since the Great Geographical Discoveries of the late 15th century. The colossal project frequently faced financial issues.

Additionally, the political situation changed, influenced by the royal family, which fled to their colony in Brazil in 1807 to escape Napoleon’s advancing army. Officially, this was to prevent the French invaders from legitimizing new rulers, but the nation felt abandoned, and this act was viewed as dishonorable. King John VI stayed away for 14 years, far exceeding the less than a year-long French occupation. The country he returned to in 1821 was different, with the people increasingly pushing towards a republic, which Portugal ultimately became in 1910.

🚧200 Years in the Making

The partially finished Ajuda Palace began to be used as a royal residence from 1826. It wasn’t until the reign of King Luís I (1861-1889) that it was established as the permanent residence of the Portuguese royal family. The impressive front building concealed the still-under-construction wings, a fact evident in the palace’s architecture. It combines styles and eras, started in Baroque, continued in Neoclassical, and completed in 2021 with a contemporary western wing. The entrance is adorned with a statue of Carlos I, its last royal inhabitant.

Interestingly, the original plans for the palace envisioned a much larger complex. Today’s structure, though seemingly substantial, is less than half of the ambitious project envisioned by 18th-century architects led by Manuel Caetano de Sousa. According to their designs, the grand main entrance was supposed to face the river, roughly at the level of the current street where the tram runs. The palace’s axis was to be mirrored, doubling its existing size. Such grandeur could have rivaled the opulence of the nearby 🔗 Jerónimos Monastery. Then, no one would question where the Royal Palace in Lisbon is located.

🚶‍♀Visit

Transformed into a museum in 1968, the palace boasts opulent interiors. Among its treasures is the vast Royal Library. Originally, nearly 60,000 of its volumes were packed into 300 crates, and shipped with the royal family to Brazil. Visitors can marvel at the stunning rooms, such as the Audience Hall adorned with 15th-century paintings, and the Throne Room where, in 1826, the king signed the constitution that transformed his subjects into citizens. This room has also hosted foreign dignitaries, including Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, the leader of China, and U.S. President Bill Clinton.

In the western wing of the building, accessible through a separate entrance, lies the Museum of the Royal Treasury. The museum’s exhibits are housed in a vast vault located in the central part of the building. The tour begins as visitors cross the threshold of the vault, secured by massive doors several inches thick. The modern architecture of this wing blends intriguingly with the rest of the palace, and the interactive displays in this newest part of the museum make the entire experience exceptionally engaging.

The royal treasury vault gathers in one place the most important Portuguese crown jewels and state decorations used in civil and religious ceremonies. It also houses the most impressive 18th-century European royal tableware. The famous dinner service, consisting of over a thousand pieces, was crafted by the Parisian goldsmith François-Thomas Germain. Interestingly, this entire collection also traveled to and returned from Brazil, making it one of the few 18th-century sets in Europe to remain completely intact.

Among the museum’s treasures is the legendary royal nugget, a remarkable 20-kilogram gold nugget discovered in Brazil in 1732. This artifact symbolizes the immense wealth that Brazil brought to the Portuguese crown.