My Weekly Powerup | #club100 | A symbol of the Age of Discoveries – The Belem Tower in Lisbon, Portugal | #steemexclusive / 16 photos

digi-me (74)Traveler 🇳🇴in Traveling Steem • 25 days ago

This amazing piece of 16th century architecture is locacated by the entrance of the Tagus River in Lisbon. It was build as a fortress to protect and defend the entrance into the city. At that time defense was important, so King John II desided to design a system of defense. As I have understood, there were some fortresses along the river, but they alone, could not defend the city. When I was in Lisboa, I stayed in the district of Belem. This area has lots of monuments and buildings that symbolizes the era of Portoguese martime exploration and colonial power. In 1983 Belem Tower was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The view towards Lisbon

The view towards the sea

To enter, you have to cross a bridge. The tower is situated on a piece of basaltic rock. It might have been a bigger island once. It's possible to visit the levels to both explore the interior, but also to admire exterior and the view from here.

The exterior:

We took time to study the details of the tower, The second floor has an arcade where you will see seven arches. Almost at the top you will see a twisted rope – a symbol of the nautic history of Portugal. On the cloister you will see the Virgin and Child / The Virgin of Belem. In her left hand she is holding grapes.

The tower is a four-storey structure with a hight of 30 meters. The material used, is limestone, which I think is a local stone. The architecture is a mix of styles. The fort has minarets that must have been inspired by the Moorish who once influenced this area (in adition to southern Spain). In 1519 the building was completed. It has undergone some renovation and upgrades in the years to come.

The interior:

After exploring the exterior, admiring all the details in the carvings, we went inside.
The fort has dungeons that funcioned as a prison. We were able to look into them. Some of the conons that once protectedt the mouth of the river, are still here too. One of the levels also funcioned as the custom house. The tower itself is aprox 12 meters high. We walk a spiral staircase to get to the different levels, several halls where we once again could admire the vaulted ceilings, arches and stone carvings. On the first floor you will find the Govenors Hall. Then the King's Hall and the Audience Hall.

The Belem Tower is probably one of the know sights one has to visit. It you want to explore this era of Portoguese history, stay in this distict. Visit the Jeronimos Monastery and the Monument of Discoveries.

CC @patjewell

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