The Monument of the Discoveries is an astonishingly cool building/sculpture on the Tagus river near the Torre de Belem. It is a massive, 180-foot limestone construction, depicting a parade of navigators, scientists, and other Portuguese notables crowding toward what looks like the prow of a ship, gazing over the Tagus. It’s an example of New State aesthetic, related to the authoritarian art styles of the 1930s and 1940s.
The original sculpture was made for the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1939, constructed as a temporary piece for that event. It was eventually torn down. In 1958, however, the Ministry of Public Works decided a permanent version should be constructed, and here it is.
Within the tower is an elevator, so you can ride to the top and get a grand view of the river, Lisbon, and the large public square behind the monument. Set into the public square is a stone map of the world, marked with the dates of when Portugal arrived there.
I’ve seen photographs of this monument before, and I never was very interested in it. The experience is very different in person. The scale and location are magnificent, and it is easier to appreciate the solidity of the figures when you are up close.
