Castle George Lisbon how to get there. Seven nights in Lisbon: St. George's Castle - "This island is not marked on the map - the real places are never marked on maps." Local landmark - St. George's Castle

Walking through the streets of ancient Lisbon, it is impossible not to pay attention to the prominent hill, “crowned” by the main fortress of the Portuguese capital, visible even from the outskirts of the city. The Castle of St. George is located in such a prominent place that it inevitably attracts the attention of tourists, whose undying interest has made the “flagship” of Portuguese castles one of the most visited attractions in Lisbon.

From time immemorial, the highest of the seven hills of Lisbon was considered a strategic hill, so from ancient times it was “crowned” with fortifications that belonged to the Romans, then the Visigoths, then the Moors. The fortified “height” came under the rule of Portugal thanks to the first king of the state, who actively carried out the Reconquista. Afonso I Enriques in 1147, with the support of the crusaders, after a three-month siege, took the castle of the Moorish emir. From then until the appearance of the Ribeira Palace in the 16th century, the liberated fortress served as a royal palace, and the liberator Afonso I Henriques was immortalized in the form of a statue located on the castle grounds.

The castle, whose name in Portuguese sounds like Castelo de São Jorge, in the 14th century under King João I received the name of St. George the Victorious, patron of knights and crusades. And such a renaming is considered no coincidence, associating it with the establishment of close relationships with England, whose patron saint is traditionally considered St. George.

After the more elegant Ribeira Palace was preferred to the rude fortress, the Castle of St. George was allocated for military needs, and was used as barracks, and over time it was completely reclassified as a prison, which did not have the best effect on the safety ancient building. After all this, as well as after the devastating earthquake of 1755, the fortification structure needed restoration, which was carried out twice in the 20th century.

Severe rectangular towers, wide battlements, an impenetrable dry ditch - here it is, a formidable castle with a genuine military past. And hidden inside it is a real oasis - on an area of ​​6,000 square meters there are two parks where different types of trees coexist: pines, oaks, olive trees and many other types of vegetation. Among all this park greenery, peacocks flash with their motley plumage, and white swans slowly sway on the glittering surface of the reservoirs.

In 1910, St. George's Castle was recognized National Monument Portugal. Now, in addition to regular excursions, ceremonial events, various performances and exhibitions are held here, among which a wide collection of iconography is of particular interest.

• Address: 1100-129 Lisboa, Portugal
• Telephone:+351 218 800 620
• Email: [email protected]
• Cost of visit: $6,17

The Castle of St. George is located right on top of the highest of the seven hills in Alfama above the old Moorish quarter. The castle is clearly visible from afar. It is famous for its panoramic views on the city and surrounding areas of the capital. You can see behind Atlantic Ocean, and on clear days and are visible in the distance.

Stories of a Portuguese castle

The oldest parts of the fortress's buildings date back to the 6th century, when it was founded by the Romans, then completed by the Visigoths, and later by the Moors. The castle served as the residence of the Moorish kings until 1147, when it was conquered by Afonso Henriques, the first king, with the active participation of British crusader knights in the Second Christian Crusade. The castle was named in honor of St. George, the patron saint of England. The palace became the residence of the kings of Portugal and served this function until the construction of the Ribeira Palace in the 16th century. One of the chambers of the palace was reserved for Vasco da Gama during his stay in Lisbon after returning from sea voyages.

After the transition of Portugal to the rule of the Crown of Spain in 1580, the fortress of St. George in Lisbon acquired a military-defensive character, which was maintained until the beginning of the 20th century. After the earthquake in 1755, many new buildings appeared on the site of the old ruins. Restoration work carried out in 1938-40 again revealed the fortress and the remains of the old royal palace.

St. George's Castle today

The castle complex, surrounded by a citadel, consists of the castle itself, the royal palace and several other buildings, gardens and a terraced area. Main entrance to the citadel (19th century gate) leads to main square(Praça d'Armas), which is decorated with old cannons and a bronze statue of Afonso Henriques. Medieval Moorish castle with its 10 towers is located on the most high point hill. A wall with a tower and a connecting door bisects the castle courtyard, and stairs allow visitors to reach a walkway on the wall and towers, which offers magnificent views of Lisbon. The long fortress wall on the western part of the hill slopes down, ending at the Torre de Curaza tower.

Open to the public 7 days a week, St. George's Castle is now Lisbon's most popular tourist attraction, where you can visit:

Features of the visit

Opening hours of St. George's Castle in Lisbon.

Everyone has it large city have your own heart. Castle of St. George - historical Center Lisbon, Kremlin of the Portuguese capital. For many centuries, it has been observing thousands of years of European history from behind its stone walls. Ancient fortress At first it was in the possession of the Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. In 1147, the castle passed to the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques. Since then, the Portuguese have considered it one of the symbols of statehood. Nowadays, the castle introduces tourists to medieval history; there is an impressive collection of cannons and an archaeological museum. The complex is remembered for its calm atmosphere and coolness. Mesmerizes with gorgeous panoramic views of the whole of Lisbon with red tiled roofs and the Tagus River.

The history of St. George's Castle begins at the turn of two eras. At different times it belonged to the Romans and Visigoths. Then in 1147 it was liberated by the Crusaders from the Moors. The commander of the crusaders, Afonso Henriques, became the first ruler of the country. Until the 16th century, the castle was the residence of the ruling people.

The castle is clearly visible from anywhere in Lisbon. The battlements of the fortress walls are clearly visible against the background of the blue sky, and the foundation of the building seems to be a single whole with the hill on which it is located.

The architecture of the castle is truly impressive. It is distinguished by its special massiveness and restrained symmetry of the entire structure. The appearance is complemented by many architectural elements. The fortress is surrounded by a moat with an arch-shaped bridge and two rows of walls. Along the perimeter there are 18 sentinels and corner towers and an external fortification - the barbican.

The entrance to the fortress territory is closed by massive gates. After them you find yourself in a courtyard with its own atmosphere. It is calm here, there is a lot of lush greenery, there are benches in the shade, birds are walking around. Attention is immediately drawn to the statue of Afonso Henriques (the first Portuguese king who expelled the Moors from the fortress). A whole collection of medieval weapons testifies to a glorious and formidable history medieval castle. The original residence of the rulers has practically not been preserved, now this inner palace there is a restaurant. If you go around the palace, you can see the entrance to the archaeological museum. Its halls contain exhibits from the territory of the fortress from the beginning of its history to the 18th century. An educational program has been prepared for visitors - the museum is showing a multimedia historical show about Lisbon, “Olyssiponia”. There is evidence that a meeting between the legendary traveler Vasco da Gama and King Manuel took place in the museum hall.

Don’t miss the opportunity to stand on the fortress walls and walk around the castle’s perimeter; from above you will have an incredible view of Lisbon. Using the camera obscura, located in the Odysseus tower and projecting 360 degrees, you will see the city in full view.

Castle of St. George (Castelo de São Jorge) or better Observation deck in Lisbon

Knowing that St. George's Castle is one of the main attractions of Lisbon, we definitely decided to visit it. The castle stands on top of a hill in the historical part of the city, at an altitude of more than 100 meters and is therefore visible from almost everywhere.

Path to the castle
Initially, our ascent to the fortress was planned in a lightweight version, namely on the red tourist tram from the stop in Figueira Square. In addition, travel on it is free if you have a valid tourist ticket. Yellow bus. But at the stop we met an incredible queue of people wanting to ride. Deciding not to waste time, we went on foot and didn’t regret it for a second.

Turning from Figueira Square onto the street Rua da Madalena and after passing several houses, we saw a funny staircase-street with graffiti.

A miraculous staircase took us several tiers higher, from where we slowly continued our ascent to the castle, without ceasing to enjoy the local flavor of the quarter Bairro do Castelo.

Other ways to get to the castle: trams 12 and 28 (Miradouro de Santa Luzia stop), metro (Martim Moniz station).

Impressions of the castle
I will not go into historical details, which many reviews are full of even without me, but will tell you about my impressions from the point of view of a lazy contemplative tourist. Sometimes you really don’t want to load your head with information that is useful, but so quickly forgotten by many of us, right?

But at the same time, the atmosphere inside is very pleasant and peaceful. The area has a lot of greenery, courtyards and.....peacocks! Yes, they casually walk around the entire territory with absolutely royal equanimity. They are not afraid of people and beg food from tourists. Well, just like pigeons. And it turns out they can fly))

To fully experience the magnificence of the opening views of the city, sit down at the stone tables on the fortress wall, break away from the bustle of the city and be alone with this peaceful beauty.

A glass of port from the “Wine with view” kiosk will put you in an even more romantic mood.

Is it worth a visit?
Definitely “YES”! Castle of St. George is worth a visit for the fantastic views of Lisbon. Walking along the fortress walls, you will get a panoramic view of this magnificent, calm and unique city.
The views are simply breathtaking. Cozy tiled roofs basking under the southern sun, narrow streets, the Tagus River hugging Lisbon. I want to look at all this and look at it. And if you are already a little familiar with the city, then, like on a three-dimensional map, it will be easy for you to find its main attractions. This is Commerce Square, Rossio and Figueira squares, the statue of Christ on the opposite bank of the Tagus River, the Santa Justa elevator, the ruins of the church of the Monastery do Carmo and some others.
And in the evening you can still see a beautiful sunset from here.

I decided to dedicate this year’s last story about Portugal (but not the last post in the magazine) to one of the main attractions of Lisbon - the Castle of St. George. Actually, here is the promised alternation between Sintra and the capital. The castle is notable at least for the fact that it is one of a small number of buildings that partially survived the terrible earthquake of 1755. Well, from the hill on which it stands, they open good views to the city.

However, there are places where you can look at the castle from the outside. True, I got there at the wrong sunset time

Well, in order to climb the steep hill, we had to wait several days until the sun came out. Main entrance

Saint George lost his horse and snake somewhere

At the foot of the castle lies a large terrace

From which you can admire the city with the help of such a cheat sheet

Here is the familiar Square of Commerce

Using a television camera you can see the monument to King Jose I from the rear

View of the Tagus River and the famous 25th of April Bridge. If you look closely, you can also see the statue of Christ the Redeemer

But we will have the opportunity to consider all this in more detail when we go to Belem.

Boat large

View of the city, in the center of Figueira Square

Rossio is one of the city stations, even the main one. Beautiful building with a turret and a boring roof over the platforms

All the buildings are familiar

Ruins of the Carmelite monastery

Santa Justa

TV and radio tower

The Basilica da Estrela was not included in my tourist field of vision. She didn't get in mainly because of her location.

Traditional panorama

The most impressive of guns

By the way, old olive trees grow here

Well, now let's go to the castle

First, let's get acquainted with the local fauna

A dozen proud birds walk among the trees and on the lawn at the entrance

They're not that proud, really. Beggars

An example of garden sculpture

The fortress appeared on this hill back in the 5th century, it was built by the Visigoths. Three centuries later, the Arabs settled here, during whose reign the castle was rebuilt. It is noticeable that it was built in pre-cannon times - the bastions are square, there is no additional protection against cannonballs

In 1147, the army under the leadership of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, captured the castle, and it acquired the status of a royal residence until the 16th century. Then, on the site of the current Commerce Square, a new palace was built, where the court moved. Another cat was sitting at the entrance bridge over the former ditch. She gathered crowds of tourists :)

The Castle of St. George was slowly deteriorating until the earthquake, which pretty much battered it. And they began to restore the fortress only in 1938, during the reign of Salazar. So few of the local stones remember Arab times, which is a pity

In general, there is nothing remarkable inside the castle (and it is small) - walls and courtyards

Maybe you can go watch a short film telling about the history of the fortress, but I didn’t wait half an hour before the English version started.

But from the walls there is a view of another part of the city. Here is the Alfama district, which we will walk through soon. The dome of the National Pantheon is hidden behind the building of the monastery of St. Vincent. And in the haze you can see the Vasco da Gama Bridge

There are olives inside too, and they bear fruit.

The pipe spoils the surroundings

Another view of the city, densely built-up old areas

By the way, it is curious that the castle borrowed its patron saint from Great Britain legally. The fact is that in 1386 the ruling dynasties of Portugal and England became related, which led to the conclusion of the Treaty of Windsor on a political union. And what is quite surprising is that the union of these states lasted until the 20th century.

Deserted courtyard

Archaeologists are working near the castle. Found old foundations

This is what the excavation site looks like

That's all for the inside of the castle, we can go to the bridge. Oh, dead end :)

One cat met me, and another saw me off. This one clearly knows how to pose, she probably even varnishes her nose to make the photographers happy

It’s a pity that during the restoration they didn’t put any cannons on the walls.

Next to the castle there is an archaeological museum, quite typical inside. But outside you can meet a man-eating dolphin

And the much more serious King Manuel I. This monarch ruled during the era of great discoveries and received Vasco da Gama mentioned in connection with the bridge after he opened the sea route to India

Note that this monarch in 1496 issued a decree expelling Jews from the country. It is difficult to call this decision original, however.

Shady courtyard near the museum

The circle ended, we returned to the observation terrace. The monument in the center was erected in honor of the same Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal

He paved the way for Portuguese independence with fire and sword.

Since we started with a view of the castle from the side, we will finish with a different view, especially since it turned out better from this point

Another Portuguese walk has come to an end. St. George's Castle itself is not as interesting as other fortresses, but for the wonderful views it is definitely worth a visit. Well, those who are not indifferent to history will be able to replenish their knowledge at the same time. Next time we will walk through the oldest streets of Lisbon (there will be a lot of interesting things there!), but first we will return to Sintra for a short time to run along the walls of another old fortress.