UNESCO - Portugal World Heritage Site Recommendations
- Written by Janet Johnstone
In addition to those sites already on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, Portugal has put in for UNESCO consideration the following places:
Nature Park of Arrábida
Situated near Setúbal, this 10,800 hectare protected area consists of mountain and coast line. It lies on the northern slope of the Sado River estuary and encompasses much of the Serra da Arrábida, the highest peak of which is 499 metres. The heritage of an ancient Mediterranean forest is preserved, including oak, laurel, and wild olive. Water plays a prominent role in the park which has numerous features such as aqueducts, cisternas, and even communal wash houses. Wildlife abounds; Arrábida is home to fox, genet, badger, wildcat, hare, weasel, mongoose, Bonnelli eagle, royal and screech owls, kite, sparrow hawk and others as well as more than 130 types of butterflies.
The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times and a number of villages still dot the terrain. Human traces are, however, not limited to villages. The park contains the São Felipe castle, the fortress of Santa Maria near Portinho da Arrábida (an enchanting costal village), churches and convents of note, a megalithic monument (Roça do Casal do Meio at Calhariz), fragments of a Roman road and other remnants of their presence in the area.
Forest Park of the Discalced Carmelites, Buçaco
The mountain forest north-east of Coimbra was first settled by Benedictine monks in the 6th century but eventually came under the remit of the local clergy in Coimbra. During this time, Pope Urban VIII issued an edict forbidding women from entering the forest! In 1628 the order of barefoot Carmelites took over; they built a monastery and surrounded the 105 hectare forest with a wall. The monks, and later the government foresters who succeeded them, planted nearly 400 varieties of Portuguese trees, shrubs and flowers as well as importing 300 species. The park survived one of the major Peninsular War battles.
The monastery became the property of the government in 1834 and in 1907 the building of a sumptuous summer hunting lodge in the forest for the royal family was completed, a process which destroyed much of the monastery. What remains today are a chapel and a few monks’ cells, lined with cork to protect against the winter cold. The grandiose, fairytale palace, on the other hand, is today a top hotel.
Scattered throughout the park are secret grottoes, waterfalls, fountains, and statues.
Algar do Carvão. Terceira Island is one of the nine principal islands making up the Azores. Algar do Carvão is a volcanic cavern which was formed by an eruption that occurred about 2.000 years ago. Its many grottos feature a plethora of white silica stalagmites and stalactites as well as black obsidian volcanic ‘glass’. The stalagmites and stalactites are unique in the world because of their silica composition. Purpose-built steps lead down a long shaft, a former vent of the lava flow, to an underground lake filled with rainwater.
Algar do Carvão translates as ‘coal pit’ and it was so named because of the dark black colour of the lava which forms the walls of the cave, but in reality no coal is to be found there. It opened as a show cave in 1968, and was renovated in 2004.
Furna do Enxofre, or Sulphur Cavern, is a rare, volcanic formation which lies on Graciosa Island in the Azores. The south-east of the island is almost entirely composed of the Caldeira, an imposing crater at the centre of which is the Furna, a subterranean grotto. A 100 meter long tunnel passes through the crater wall into the crater itself which is covered in part by pasture land and also by forests. A road leads straight down through the crater bottom to the enormous cavern, the Furna. The bottom of the cavern is 100 meters below the earth’s surface. Inside the cavern lies a sulphurous water lake.
Coimbra University. Coimbra, Portugal’s first university, was founded in the 13th century and although it transferred several times between Coimbra and Lisbon, its cluster of buildings has grown and evolved over seven centuries. In addition to its edifices, some quite exceptional, and its position as one of Europe’s oldest and influential universities, Coimbra has been nominated for the UNESCO list because of its traditions and cultural features which endow it with a unique identity.
Its earliest home in Coimbra was the Alcaçova Palace, the origins of which date to the Islamic period. Another of the more important buildings is the library, which was begun in 1717; it was one of the most prominent of European libraries in its day and still a remarkable example of Baroque art.
During its history the university has played a key part in the national political and social debates of the times. That notwithstanding, according to the National Commission of Portugal to UNESCO, some of the historic buildings were destroyed by the Salazar government to allow the construction of new buildings in the nationalist monumental architectural style in the hope that closer control could be exercised over student protest movements. At the same time, new faculties were created for art, economics, medicine, science and engineering.
The university’s intellectual output has over time often had profound effects on many aspects of Portuguese life and national identity as well as that of its empire.
Fortifications of Elvas
Elvas castle was founded on the base of a structure from the Islamic period and reconstruction work on it following two major skirmishes with the Moors was finished in 1228. It has been one of the most important military towns in Portuguese history, pivotal in battles throughout the ages. It also became one of the most remarkable fortifications in all of Europe. The castle boasts a complex system of walls and ditches and retains its medieval military structure, despite modernisations carried out over the centuries.
Elvas gradually evolved into a fortified city as a result of the military imperatives due to its proximity to the Spanish border. However, iowet never lost its strong agricultural roots and remains known today particularly for its olives and plums, many of which are candied with sugar or honey.
ICNITOS de Dinossáurios
Located within two parks, Parque Natural das Serras de Aire e Candeerios (near Fatima) and the Parque Natural de Arrábida, are track sites of dinosaurs’ footprints believed to date from the Middle Jurassic period some 175 million years ago. The twenty different tracks with 1.000 prints, some showing claw marks, are amongst the best preserved tracks in the world and one of the tracks at 147 meters is the longest found anywhere in the world. The footprints were made by sauropods, long-necked herbivore dinosaurs weighing up to 25 tonnes and measuring 30 meters.
These tracks were discovered in 1994 in what was being used as a limestone quarry. The discovery, coupled with other recent dinosaur fossils including a nest with scores of eggs, catapulted Portugal into the position of having some of the very best preserved fossil footprints in the world. The whole location is deemed of exceptional geological and palaeontological interest and the tracks in the Serras de Aire can be visited by the public.
Ilhas Selvagens
These two islands, and smaller islets, a small archipelago, between Madeira and the Canary Islands, were discovered by the Portuguese in 1438. They are the remains of volcanic peaks. Their inhospitable nature meant that colonisation was not successful and, as a result, they have been left in the hands of nature. The measure in total no more than 2.73 km2 and no fresh water source exists.
The islands constitute an important area in the Atlantic for the nesting of birds. Cory’s Shearwater is one of the largest species on the islands with approximately 40,000 birds, along with the White-faced Petrel. They are joined by Bulwer’s Petrel, Roseate Tern, Madeirean storm petrel and Little Shearwater, and others. The islands are also considered important because of the unique natural vegetation (150 species of plants, mostly creepers) which has been left to its own devices without the introduction of any non-indigenous animal or plant.
Mafra Palace, Convent and Royal Hunting Park
In 1711 a royal decree from Dom João V commissioned the building of a convent designed to accommodate no more than 13 Capuchin monks who were to observe strict vows of poverty. Financed by gold from Brazil and fueled by the monarch’s desire to outstrip the splendours of Rome, the king’s dream led him to extend the buildings to accommodate 300 monks. The Basilica was consecrated in 1730, but other works lagged behind despite the presence of 50,000 labourers and 7,000 soldiers involved in auxiliary works. The 1755 earthquake brought more delay as workers were needed elsewhere.
The final product would no doubt have pleased Dom João. It had a grand splendour rivaling much other European architecture of its time, and its imposing and monumental presence is every bit impressive today.
Materials, sculptures, tower bells and the like were sourced from the best in Europe. The palace displays its 18th century sculptures and paintings and an impressive gilded library houses thousands of books.
The hunting ground needs a 21 kilometre wall to enclose it and is surrounded by forests and agricultural land. In its day, this area provided food and firewood for the religious and royal communities.
Pombaline Baixa – Downtown Lisbon
The 1755 earthquake destroyed the greater part of Lisbon, including the symbolic centres of power. The Marques of Pombal, who held sway with the king, embarked on a massive reconstruction programme for Lisbon as well as elsewhere. For inspiration, he drew upon Portuguese military engineering experience and urban experiments in some of Portugal’s colonial territories.
This particular area in Lisbon is 235,620 m2 covering 62 grid pattern blocks and is prominent in position. Facing directly onto the Tejo river, it represented a crucial portal into the city as entry by boat of friend or foe would in the 18th century have been a leading aspect.
The effort was one of the first large-scale town planning schemes. The results display an exceptional character and great modernity even today, let alone 250 years ago. The sweeping grand scale of many of the buildings and avenues is rendered yet more monumental by the consideration that the common transport of the day was donkey and cart.
Marvão and its Craggy Mountain
This medieval mountaintop village is one of Portugal’s most spectacular fortified sites. The 13th century castle crowns the surrounding craggy peaks which also support the castle walls, battlements and towers.
The town seldom ventured outside its early outline except for a brief excursion in the 15th century to create the convent of Nossa Senhora da Estrela.
This point of natural strategic defense lies only a few kilometers from the border with Spain and played an important role in major military conflicts over the ages, both internal and external.
The town sits astride the highest crest of the Serra de São Mamede at an altitude of 865 meters. The application for UNESCO Heritage inclusion recognises both the ancient town and the gigantic rock formations which underpin it.
Historic Centre of Santarém
Only 65 km north-east of Lisbon, Santarém traces its past to pre-historic times when people inhabited the region, although the founding of the town is credited to the Romans in the 2nd century BC whence it developed into an important trading post. The Arabs later turned it into an important cultural centre. After the Reconquest, Santarém grew to be one of Portugal’s most important cities; it was frequented by kings and feudal parliaments were convened. Although it suffered in the 1755 earthquake, there are still enough buildings for it to be known as ‘the capital of Portuguese Gothic’.
The historic centre boasts the largest group of gothic churches in Portugal in addition to fine examples of Manueline, Renaissance, Mannerist and Baroque architecture, such as convents, monasteries, and a rare 14th century fountain.
Southwest Coast
This is the Atlantic coast between S. Torpes near Sines and Burgau, extending out to the open sea for 2 km and running parallel to the coastline. It is one of the last stretches of wild coastline in the south of Europe as there are considerable tracts which have not been altered by human activity, and it is home to a great biodiversity of both species and habitats.
The coastline is made up of sedimentary rock with substrata of sandstone or sandy shale with schist or limestone in certain areas. The habitats include marshes, dunes, and cliffs as well as the coastal plateau criss-crossed by water courses and small permanent streams.
The otters which dart along the coast form one of only three colonies in Europe and the only one in Portugal. The area is home to varied population of nesting birds, including the only cliff-nesting colony of white storks in the world. Additionally, good numbers of migratory birds stop here, including several thousands birds of prey, and the autumn migration is recognised as being of special significance.
Despite the low population density, the area is rich in history. Ancient tools and megalithic structures have been found. Its associations with Prince Henry the Navigator and other explorers as well as the medieval sea trade are rich.
By Janet Johnstone
