Lisbon, capital of Portugal, is the city of many secrets. One of the most magical cities in the world, it boasts a curious and fascinating history, and all things that make life beautiful!
Sucheta Pradhan
“By day Lisbon has a naive theatrical quality that enchants and captivates, but by night it is a fairy-tale city, descending over lighted terraces to the sea, like a woman in festive garments going down to meet her dark lover.”
― Erich Maria Remarque, The Night in Lisbon
Founded by the Phoenicians in 1200 B.C., Lisbon is the oldest city in Western Europe.
In fact, even if you consider Europe as a whole, only Athens is believed to be a little older than the Portuguese capital.
Lisbon wasn’t always the Portuguese capital. In the 12th century, Guimarães, the city nicknamed the ‘birthplace of Portugal’, became the country’s first capital.
Then from 1131 to 1255, central Portugal’s riverfront city of Coimbra became the country’s second capital, after which the title was transferred to Lisbon.
But, when the Portuguese royals fled to Brazil during 19th century Napoleonic Wars, Lisbon again lost its capital status, and Rio de Janeiro was temporarily declared the capital of Portugal for 13 years.
However, after end of Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Lisbon again regained its statis as the Portuguese capital and has remained so till today.
They say Lisbon is the “city of seven hills” to make it sound similar to ancient Rome. Very few people, however, know that this number is actually miscalculated.
It is actually built not on seven, but eight hills viz., São Jorge, São Vicente, São Roque, Santo André, Santa Catarina, Chagas, Sant’Ana, and Graça – the tallest of them all, which is often missed out!
During World War II, Lisbon was known as a “city of spies”. Despite maintaining the so-called neutral reputation, both Nazi and Allied spies gathered in Lisbon and nearby Estoril as the city’s secret police kept a close watch.
This “espionage connection” of Lisbon is said to have inspired Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond series.
One of the nicknames for Lisbon’s locals is “Alfacinhas”. It is derived from “Alface”, the Portuguese word for “lettuce”, which has apparently remained the favorite choice of a veggie.
Lisbon is home to one of the smallest bookshops in the world. Livraria Simão is a cupboard-sized book shop that can only fit in two people at a time, including the shopkeeper.
One of the most top-secret dessert recipes in the world comes from Lisbon. Though the famous Pastel de nata, the Portuguese egg tart pastry, is available throughout the world, its original recipe is believed to be known to only three people who hail from Lisbon.
Lisbon was the world’s first city to import the famous Guinness beer from Dublin in 1811.
Guess the favorite sport of Lisbon? Yeah, it’s football! Lisbon has as many as 214 registered football clubs, and still counting!
The Lisbon Oceanarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world. It contains a great variety of fish and other marine exhibits, including invertebrates, mammals, plants, and more.
The biggest casino in Europe is in Lisbon. Measuring 26,900 sq. ft. in area, the Casino Estoril was opened in 1916 and has 1,235 slots and table games, including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, French bank, and Caribbean stud poker.
In 1873, the first trams appeared in Lisbon, which were known as “carros americanos” or “American Cars”. Initially, they were horse-drawn cars on metal rails; however, the first electric trams were installed in 1901.
Underneath Lisbon lies the 2,000-year-old Roman city named Galerias Romanas da Rua da Prata. It is a legitimate city with corridors, bridges, and rooms, and can be entered through a small square metal hatch in the middle of the street.