Estação Ferroviária de Santa Apolónia

Few places show Lisbon’s entry into modernity as clearly as Santa Apolónia Railway Station. It was here that Portugal’s first train journey departed in 1856, still from temporary facilities in the former convent of Santa Apolónia. The building we see today, with its neoclassical design and U-shaped plan, opened in 1865, fitted into a narrow strip between the houses and the Tagus, like a true railway gateway to the capital. Over generations, it has received departures, returns and farewells; one of its most symbolic moments came in 1974, when Mário Soares arrived from exile and addressed the crowd from the station balcony. During a visit, it is worth noticing the long nave and the relationship with the river, which still gives the whole place the feeling of an urban quay. Between railway, city and political memory, Santa Apolónia still tells the story of Lisbon in motion.