The majority of landmarks are located in the capital of the country - Lisbon and its suburbs. For more than 700 years Saint George's Castle, which is located on a high hill, has been the main symbol of the city. Starting from the 13th century it was used as a royal palace, nowadays one of its towers hosts an archive with important documents of the country level. Approximately one third of the castle was destroyed during the earthquake in 1755, so only the main wall and a couple of towers have survived until our days. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is not only a famous religious landmark, but also an important historical object. Many famous guests visited the monastery in the past, for example, Vasco da Gama, who prayed there before his famous travel to India. After the return of the famous explorer a church dedicated to Virgin Mary was built near the monastery. Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is also the place of the burial of the royal family, and one of the monastery's buildings has been turned into marine and archaeological museums.
When describing religious landmarks of the country, we cannot fail to mention the Christ the King statue. It was built in 1959 and is an exact copy of the statue located in Rio de Janeiro. The height of the statue is 28 meters; there is an observation deck near the statue, from which visitors will be able to enjoy it stunning panoramic views of Lisbon.
The Lisbon Oceanarium remains one of the most visited entertainment centers in the capital, where visitors can see more than 15 thousand marine creatures. There is a giant aquarium in the central part of the complex. The capacity of the aquarium is 4 million litres, and that makes it the second largest aquarium in the world, with the aquarium in Japan being the first one.
Interesting architectural landmarks and museums can also be found in Sintra, the main symbol of which is Palácio da Pena. The palace was built in 1939 on the ruins of a monastery and is well-known as the most romantic and elegant palace in Portugal. The palace was built in a way so it attached a remaining part of the monastery and a small chapel. The old part of the city is home to a very beautiful building - the Castelo dos Mouros (The Moors Castle), which was built 10 centuries ago. If one doesn't take into consideration massive protective walls, the building looks more like a castle from a fairy tale rather than an ancient fortress. The castle was empty for many years until it was restored in the 19th century. Nowadays, it's a very interesting open air museum.
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Cities and sights of Portugal
