Jump to main content Sitemap Web accessibility and navigation aid

BELÉM | DEMOLITION SETS THE STAGE – Exhibition

16 February 2020 - 30 December 2020
 photograph of Praça do Império, panoramic prior to the exhibition of the Portuguese World 9 February 1939. Buildings occupy the space in front of the Jerónimos monastery and also a garden with a statue.

Details

Exhibitions

Monday to Friday from 11am to 5pm (last entry at 4.30pm)

Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm (last entry at 5.30pm)

Share on social media

About this event

In 1940, the Exhibition of the Portuguese World and Belém seemed like they were one and the same thing. The place helped to tell the nation’s history: the Jerónimos Monastery, the Tagus river, Afonso de Albuquerque Square, the Belém Tower. The vast event took over the neighbourhood, as if Belém did not exist, apart from the Exhibition.

Estado Novo announced impressive transformations to those vacant lots, capable of welcoming such a large festivity. But what was this place like before 1940? What place did it become after the Exhibition? What was the role of this event in Belém’s urban path?