Cultural places in Portugal

Botanical Garden • Porto, Porto

The Jardim Botânico do Porto is located on Rua do Campo Alegre, in the former Quinta do Campo Alegre, now part of the Museum of Natural History and Science of the University of Porto. With more than four hectares and a layout defined in the late 19th century, it preserves the memory of a recreational estate transformed into a scientific space. In 1895, João Henrique Andresen and Joana Lehmann Andresen acquired the property and altered the gardens and the small palace, creating the Jardim dos Jotas, the Rose Garden and the former tennis court, now the Jardim do Xisto. As the grandparents of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen and Ruben A., they also connected the place to Portuguese literature. In 1949, the State bought the estate, and in 1951 the Botanical Garden was installed here. Among camellias, groves, lakes, greenhouses, cacti, succulents and arboretum, the garden brings together a living collection, family memory and botanical knowledge.

Garden • Porto, Porto

The Jardins do Palácio de Cristal, in Porto, preserve the memory of a place that has changed its face several times. The former Campo da Torre da Marca, known since 1542 for a tower used as a reference point for ships at the Douro bar, received the Palácio de Cristal Portuense in the 19th century. Inaugurated by D. Luís in 1865 for the Portuguese International Exhibition, the iron-and-glass building was designed by Thomas Dillens Jones; the romantic gardens were entrusted to Émile David. The palace was demolished in 1951 and replaced by the Sports Pavilion, today the Pavilhão Rosa Mota. From the original design, the Émile David Garden, the Lime and Plane Tree avenues, the woodland and the terraces over the Douro still remain. Among camellias, fountains, sculptures and viewpoints, the garden keeps alive the bond between city, leisure and landscape.