|
Pena
Palace, the Palácio da Pena, is the oldest European palace built in
the Romantic style. The palace tops a hill above the town of
Sintra, and on a clear day it can be seen from Lisbon.
The palace was built on the site of a monastery that was reduced to
rubble in the Earthquake of 1755. In 1838, King Ferdinand II
bought the land around Sintra, including the
Castelo dos Mouros, and
started construction on a summer palace.
The chief architect was a German
Baron, Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege. The Baron, at the behest
of King Ferdinand II, incorporated Gothic, Manueline, Islamic, and
Renaissance concepts into the overall structure.
 |
Front
courtyard area of Pena Palace |
 |
Detailed hand-drawn tiles |
 |
View of Pena
Palace from Castelo dos Mouros |
 |
Looking up to Pena Palace
from the road |
 |
Archways with
Portuguese countryside below |
 |
Outer palace walls |
 |
Magnificent
front gate to Pena Palace |
 |
Detailed sculptures
covering many different surfaces on the walls |
 |
Intricate
artwork covering the exterior walls |
 |
View of the town of Sintra
far below; Sintra
National Palace is visible with its two conical kitchen
chimneys |
|
