Palácio da Pena
The Disney-like palace of Sintra
Palácio de Pena ©NES
On the highest peaks of the Serra de Sintra stands the spectacular Palácio da Pena, an eclectic hodgepodge of architectural styles which had been build in the 19th century for the husband of the young Doña Maria II (queen Mary II), Dom Fernando II (Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha). The palace is located on the ruins of a cloister which was founded in the 15th century on the site of the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Pena.
Ferdinando, known as the artist-king, let the German architect Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege built his summer residence for all his curiosities and surrounded it by a huge park. Since 1910, when the Portuguese republic was proclaimed, the palace is a museum that still looks the same as it did when the royal family lived there. The park and the palace both represent the greatest exponents of 19th century Romanticism in Portugal.
Map of Palácio da Pena ©MLVB
Main façade tiles with geometric Moorish pattern Palácio de Monserrate ©MLVB
Diner room ©MLVB
©MLVB
©MLVB
Atelier of Don Carlos I ©MLVB
Palácio de Pena’s Parque de Aclimação Florestal ©MLVB
Check out my post Sintra: heaven on earth for more background information about this fairylike destination!
