Page 115 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Portugal

On the monument’s north
side, the huge mariner’s com­
Did You Know? pass cut into the paving stone EAT
was a gift from South Africa in
1960. The central map, dotted
Monks used egg whites
to starch robes, and with mer maids and galleons, Antiga Confeitaria
gave the leftover yolks shows the routes of the dis­ de Belém
to bakeries to bake coverers in the 15th and 16th This famous café has
pastéis de Belém. centuries. Inside the monu­ been baking classic
ment a lift (there is a fee)
pastéis de Belém
whisks you up to the sixth floor custard tarts since 1837
where steps then lead to the
and you can see them
dos Descobrimentos top for a splendid panorama being made before your
(Monument to the Discoveries), of Belém. The basement level is eyes here; the long
was built in 1960 to mark used for temporary exhi bitions. queues are absolutely
the 500th anniversary of the The Padrão is not to every­ worth it.
death of Henry the Navigator. one’s taste but the setting is
The 52­m (170­ft) high undeniably splendid and the  C9 ⌂ Rua de
Belém 84–92
monument, commissioned by caravel design is imag inative. ∑ pasteisdebelem.pt
the Salazar regime, com mem­ The monument looks
orates the mariners, royal particularly dramatic when ¡¡¡
patrons and all those who viewed from the west in the
took part in the develop ment light of the late after noon sun.
of the Portuguese Age of
Discovery. The monument is
designed in the shape of a of a century of modern and
caravel, with Portugal’s coat 11 " contemporary art through a
of arms on the sides and the Museu Colecção variety of media, from canvas
sword of the Royal House of Berardo to sculpture and from photo­
Avis rising above the entrance.  B9 ⌂ Praça do Império graphy to video installations.
Henry the Navigator stands at @ 727, 728, 729, 751 v 15 Highlights include Pablo
the prow with a caravel in £ Belém # 10am–7pm Picasso’s Tête de Femme (1909),
hand. In two sloping lines daily ∑ museuberardo.pt a good example of the Spanish
either side of the mon ument artist’s Cubist style; variants
are stone statues of Portu­ The brainchild of business of Andy Warhol’s famous Brillo
guese heroes linked with the mogul and art collector José Box (1964–8); and Jeff Koons’
Age of Discovery, such as Manuel Rodrigues Berardo, Poodle (1991). Other artists on
Dom Manuel I holding an this fascinating gallery, in the show include Francis Bacon,
armillary sphere, the poet Centro Cultural de Belém, Willem de Kooning and Henry
Camões with a copy of Os boasts around 1,000 works by Moore. Notable Portuguese art
Lusíadas and the more than 500 artists. The on display includes Alberto
painter Nuno Museu Colecção Berardo Carneiro’s sculptures and
Gonçalves. provides a rich compendium etchings by Paula Rego.

Padrão dos
Descobrimentos,
inaugurated in 1960

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