Vasco da Gama Park

We have to tell you that the research for this post was not easy. We turned on the “bookworm” mode and found some references here and there. Nonetheless, we had some trouble confirming and deepen what we were discovering. Our scientific vein meant some frustration in this research process. There were too many loose ends, hence the long period without news. We apologize for the inconvenience. 😅

In the old times, almost the entire area of Vasco da Gama’s Park was underwater. Look at the plan: the arrow points the current Rua Vieira Portuense. For those who are lost, it is the street that has all the restaurant terraces. In front of it, towards the river, there was a building, the one that can see in the photograph entering the river. Everything else was Tagus River. As we have not yet found a way to communicate with the fish and ask them how was life underwater, we continued in search of the history of the space that was not submerged: the current Rua Vieira Portuense – which to complicate matters, already had different names – and the building in front.

Loureiro A. (1907), Os portos marítimos de Portugal e Ilhas Adjacentes, Atlas III, Estampa I, Fig. 2.ª

Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional.

To our frustration, we didn’t find much about the times before the 1755 Earthquake. However, we know that the entire Belém area was tied to maritime life. It was the starting point for oceanic expeditions, which contributed to the concentration, in this place, of people and crafts related to the sea. The construction of the Jerónimos Monastery, right next to the park, also encouraged the growth of this urban center. According to the sources, there are buildings in this area built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Some of these are supposed to be the oldest in the city. In fact, it is said that the column houses still have the marks of the water. Hmm, you think?

We couldn’t find the everyday stories from these times. It will have to be left to our imagination: people of all colours and statuses, fishmongers selling the day’s catch, old men sitting sewing nets, children running and taking a dip from the pier or the latest ruckus in front of the tavern, even before the sailor embarks to the East.

The 1755 earthquake caused great damage in the Limoeiro’s prison. Since it is not advisable to have prisoners in buildings with holes in the walls, the king’s minister, the future Marquês of Pombal, ordered the prison to be installed in this location, where it operated until the mid-19th century. We assume that this is why this street was called Rua da Cadeia (until 1911, when it was renamed Rua Vieira Portuense). In addition to the usual prisoners for common crimes, the little information found refers to some political/military prisoners. Following the Civil War between liberals and absolutists (1828-1834), supporters of D. Pedro’s liberal cause were detained here, including some from the Brazilian Imperial Navy. What life was like in this prison is also something that will have to be left to our imagination. Would they have a good view?

On a topographic map of the city of Lisbon dated to the 1850s, we can see that there was already a market here. However, we know that the cute building from the photographs was only inaugurated in 1882. A model already made in Paris was used, made of “cast iron and bricks, and could contain 64 places to sell food.” Judging by the documentation from the archives, we would say that the process of building this market caused some headaches. In addition to all the expropriations, land exchanges, demolitions and necessary streets realignments, the complaints to the Mayor of Lisbon are more than many: a contractor who didn’t have much desire to work, lack of payments causing the suspension of the works, infiltrations that forced last minute changes of materials and even problems with the foundations. My Mr. Engineer says that foundations on embankments are a nightmare. The archive documentation confirms this.

Being able to understand the exact date of the different embankments in this area was a brainteaser. The Archive stores everything, including plans for unrealized projects. How can one know which ones actually happened? 🤯 We believe that there has been more than one embankment project in the riverside area of Belém, but the biggest was the one that began in 1887. In the 1909 plan, the is already Avenida da Índia and even the train line that connects Cais do Sodré to Cascais (1895). We can also see some new streets in this area.

Rua da Cadeia was divided in Rua da Cadeia and Rua do Cais, but only for a short time. It was converted once again into a single street and renamed Rua Vieira Portuense, in honour of the royal painter Francisco Vieira, who introduced neoclassicism in the Portuguese painting scene. Another new street was Rua Bahuto e Gonçalves Street and its toponymy will be changed as well. It will be renamed Rua Paulo da Gama. All good until now but what we really want are the juicy stories, right?

Even before the establishment of the Republic (1910), there was a Republican School Center and a Republican Electoral Center on this street. At the beginning of the 20th century, Portugal development level was pretty low. The Church had a huge influence over the people and more than half of the Portuguese population was illiterate. Many came to Lisbon in search of better living conditions, often to live in precarious circumstances. With the aim of educating the popular classes, but also spreading the republican ideal, republican school centers emerged across the country. They promoted secular education, and functioned as true social centers: taught, took care and fed the children from the neighbourhood.

There was a famous restaurant on this street, António das Caldeiradas. Frequented by well-known Portuguese intellectuals, they said that the cook would become immortal due to the high quality and freshness of his fish stew. Well, in a way, we’re still here talking about it and salivating over one. The first headquarters of the football club “Os Belenenses” opened in 1919 above the “genius of stewing”’s restaurant. You can go there and look for the sign, it’s there. It seems that even then this park was had a great training ground. I would say that it was António’s fish stew that gave the players the energy to play. 😆

During the Roaring Twenties, it seems that there was an animatograph here in the area. Mr. Google explains the process, it involves projecting photographs creating the idea of movement. Do you think that people would already bring popcorn to see these projections?

This photo raised more questions than answers. In the foreground, a building with several men at the window and what appears to be the Liberian flag. Why would the flag of a newly formed African country with no historical relations with Portugal be hoisted in Belém? Does anyone have any suggestions? Two buildings next door, the signage indicates the “Retiro dos Marítimos, Jogo Chinquilho and Laranjinha”. The only thing we were able to find out was that Chinquilho and Laranjinha are traditional Portuguese games that have existed since the 15th century, generally played by older people on Sunday afternoons.

Does anyone have any more information to add? Any grandpa with stories about old Belém to tell? 🤪 Right next to it is the Belém Market – yes, the one which the construction process was a nightmare – and following, the statue in Praça de Afonso de Albuquerque, which, eventually, we will also write about.

Well, it’s all very nice, but where is this whole block, you ask? It was all demolished for the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940. Still in the consolidation phase of the regime and in the middle of the 2nd World War (1939-1945) – in which certain countries proclaimed territorial expansion – the Estado Novo regime designed this exhibition with two major objectives: internally, stimulate a sense of national identity and promote the regime and, to the rest of the world, demonstrate the great achievements of the Portuguese Empire.

In fact, the motto of the exhibition was to celebrate the double centenary: the Kingdom of Portugal’s founding (1140) and the Restoration of Independence (1640). As if to say, Spanish people, we’ve already kicked your ass once, if necessary, we’ll do it again second! For those who don’t know, in the 1940s, the Spanish Government had a plan to invade Portugal.

This entire event took place in Belém and occupied the entire area of Vasco da Gama’s Park to the current CCB and from the Tagus River to the Jerónimos Monastery. In the long term, it was intended that the Jerónimos Monastery and the entire Belém area would recover the visual splendour it once had, and to achieve this it was necessary to demolish the buildings that, for centuries, obstructed its view of and towards the Tagus. The Belém market still survived this event. It was demolished a few years later.

The exhibition only lasted a few months. In the following years, this area became somehow abandoned. It was in the 1980s that Vasco da Gama’s Park finally opened. It was named after the navigator who discovered the sea route to India (1498).

In the Park there are two pieces of art that arouse our curiosity: the Castle of the Eye and the Thai Pavilion. The first is a non-figurative and minimalist sculptural piece, created by the Japanese Minoru Niizuma. The second is a Pavilion offered by the Kingdom of Thailand to celebrate 500 years of relations between Thailand (former Kingdom of Siam) and Portugal. A brief note about this, we are talking about the oldest diplomatic alliance between the Kingdom of Thailand and a European country. In 1511, Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca. Knowing that relations between the two – the Kingdom of Siam and the Sultanate of Malacca – were sour, Albuquerque immediately sent an embassy to Siam. Things went well and we all became good friends. The first Treaty of Friendship and Commerce was signed in 1516. We Portuguese were interested in trade and Siam’s connections to China and Japan, they were interested in weapons. Over time, Portuguese traders settled there. Although in need of rehabilitation, there is still a small neighbourhood and three Portuguese churches in Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand. Back to Vasco da Gama’s Park, this pavilion was inaugurated in 2012, in the presence of the Royal Princess of Thailand, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. It was built using traditional local construction techniques. It doesn’t have a single nail. The wood has fittings, it can be assembled as if it were a puzzle. A very funny detail, above the entrance there is the flag of both countries. It was constructed in Bangkok and transported by sea to Lisbon. God, I don’t even want to imagine the logistics of it.

The last interesting thing about this park is the fact that, during the World Youth Days, it served as an enormous confessional. 150 small confessionals were built in recycled materials, by inmates, were set in the the lawn. The event organizer temporarily named the place as Pardon Park and even the Pope himself heard confessions here.

https://agencia.ecclesia.pt/

Vasco da Gama’s Park has around 4 hectares and an extensive lawn. It’s great for picnics and sunbathing. It has a children’s playground and outdoor gym equipment. It is surrounded by a wide tarmac strip, excellent for running or for children learn to ride a bike and, finally, surrounded by trees that protect the park from the noise of the city. On the first and third Sundays of each month there is an Antiques Fair. Also on the third Sunday of each month, after the Solemn Render of the Guard in front of the Official Residence of the President of the Republic, the Bélem National Palace there is a horse parade promoted by the Cavalry Regiment of the National Republican Guard. They call it Charanga. It is a parade on horseback to the sound of carefully arranged musical excerpts. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Informations:

- Website: Jardim Vasco da Gama

References:

- Loureiro A. (1907), Os portos marítimos de Portugal e Ilhas Adjacentes, Atlas III, Estampa I, Fig. 2.ª Lisboa: Imprensa Nacional.
- Atlas da Carta Topográfica da cidade de Lisboa sob a direção de Filipe Folque: 1856 – 1858. Lisboa: Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa, s.d., fl. 60;
- d’Arcos, I. P. (s.d.) O sítio. Do Palácio de Belém. Lisboa: Museu da Presidência da República.
- http://www.monumentos.gov.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=11104
- https://dgrsp.justica.gov.pt/Portals/16/Biblioteca%20e%20Arquivo/Bol%20Informativos/n_02072017.pdf?ver=2018-10-26-092102-913
- https://repositorio.ul.pt/bitstream/10451/29418/1/Centros%20Escolares%20Republicanos.pdf
- http://albertohelder.blogspot.com/2014/09/o-campo-do-pau-do-fio.html
- https://www.re-mapping.eu/pt/lugares-de-memoria/belem
- https://toponimialisboa.wordpress.com/2016/06/16/a-rua-do-fialho-autor-de-os-gatos-e-do-arroz-de-perdizes/
- https://toponimialisboa.wordpress.com/2019/06/19/a-festa-do-japao-no-jardim-da-rua-vieira-portuense
- http://www.icm.gov.mo/rc/viewer/30017/1660
- https://portaldiplomatico.mne.gov.pt/relacoesbilaterais/paises-geral/tailandia
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0361
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0373
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0377
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0391
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0397
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMBLM/GOMU/001/0005/0400

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