Visit Historic Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Spread across seven hills on the edge of Tagus River, Lisbon has been a draw for visitors for years. With so many beautiful and historically important sites to see, it’s no wonder that it is now a tourist hot spot. In this post, we’ll show you some of the wonderful sites that you will see when you visit the historic city of Lisbon.

Having been settled as early as 1200 BCE by the Phoenicians, Lisbon is the second oldest capital in Europe. Like many parts of this country, it was consecutively occupied by many civilizations over the millennia. It didn’t become a part of Portugal until 1147 when King Afonso Henriques was triumphant over the Moors and took control of Lisbon, changing the city forever. He had become the first king of Portugal after winning the siege of Guimarães in 1127. Now, he could add Lisbon and parts of southern Portugal to his newly independent kingdom.

Another big event that changed the country was the Great Lisbon Earthquake. On November 1, 1755 a massive earthquake devastated the city and surrounding areas. The epicenter was roughly 290 km southwest of Lisbon. Not only did the 8.5-9 earthquake topple buildings, the ensuing tsunami flooded the Tagus estuary nearly destroyed the city. On top of that, the earthquake hit on All Saints Day when many were visiting local churches. Hundreds of candles were lit in the churches in remembrance of loved ones. The shaking from the earthquake toppled the candles, resulting in many fires throughout the city. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).