SINTRA - PICTURE GALLERY | |
Hotels in Sintra | |
Hotels in Lisbon Area | Hotels in Porto Area |
Sintra is both a town and a municipality in Portugal, located in the district of Lisbon. The municipality of Sintra is the second largest in Portugal by population, after Lisbon.
The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on account of its 19th century Romantic architecture, it is a major tourist attraction, with many day-trippers visiting from nearby Lisbon. Attractions include the Palácio da Pena (19th c.) and the Castelo dos Mouros (reconstructed 19th c.) in the Serra de Sintra nature park, and the Palácio Nacional de Sintra (largely 15th/16th c.), in the village itself. Also, the whole Sintra Mountain Range (Serra de Sintra) is also a tourist attraction, being one of the biggest green parks in the Lisbon Area. Other major towns in the municipality are Algueirão-Mem Martins with 65,546, Agualva-Cacém with 55,762, Rio de Mouro with 46,023, Massamá with 28,174, Queluz with 27,910 and Monte Abraão with 22,039. Sintra is unique in the concelhos of Portugal in having the municipality seat in a town, despite having 2 cities in the municipality (Agualva-Cacém and Queluz). Major activities in the area are commerce and tourism. Tourists are drawn by the cultural heritage in the village itself, the nature park of Serra de Sintra, the coastal beaches in the municipality and Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, which lies 18 kilometres west of Sintra. Essentially romantic in character this town was poetically described by Lord Byron as "this glorious Eden". It was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Original Sintra is not a large place to visit but it is very worth while for its charm and visual links with the past. It encompasses two outlying areas named Estefânia and Săo Pedro. As the older part of Sintra sits on a granite slope it is best seen on foot or by a horse-drawn carriage. Abounding in history the town is dominated by the two conical chimneys of the Palácio Nacional da Vila that was the a summer home of the royal family since the 15th Century. Scattered on the surrounding hillside are several historical creations openly showing the diverseness of each original owner’s taste in personal architecture. The most outstanding example is possibly the Palácio da Pena, a 19th Century recreation of different styles admired by the King, Dom Fernando II, the German husband of the young Portuguese Queen Maria II. This example often regarded as a failed attempt to create his own romantic revival. The castle stands high on the southeast side of the mountain range. Overlooking the village are the ruined ramparts of the Castelo dos Mouros, a fort dating from the 8th Century. Within it is an ancient Moorish cistern and the panoramic view from its walls is impressive. There are several churches in the town and the most interesting is the 12th Century Igreja de Santa Maria which was rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Several private palaces are open to the public, amongst which are the Palácio de Seteais, a magnificent 18th Century home built for the fifth Marquęs de Marialva and later converted into a five star Hotel, Casa dos Ribafrias a 16th Century building once belonging to the Marquęs de Pombal; Quinta de Pena Verde, another 16th Century palace, and the Palácio de Monserrate built in the 19th Century by Francis Cook and influenced by the architectural design of Nash. Another place of interest is the Convento dos Capuchos, which is an unusual hermitage founded in 1560 with tiny dwarf cells cut from the rock. UNESCO says... |
|