The Rossio Railway Station (; pt, Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio) is a
railway station in
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
,
Portugal, located in the
Rossio square. The station was formerly known as ''Estação Central'' (Central Station) and that designation still appears in its façade. Trains gain access to the station, which is in the central urban area of Lisbon, through a tunnel which is over long.
History
The station was commissioned by the Portuguese Royal Railway Company and was designed between 1886 and 1887 by Portuguese architect José Luís Monteiro. It was built in one of the most important squares of Lisbon, the
Rossio, and connected the city to the region of
Sintra.
The tunnel was excavated under the city and is considered one of the most important works of engineering in Portugal dating from the 19th century. It was completed in 1890, and soon after Lisbon's
Circle Line with a connection to the
North Line North Line may refer to:
*Far North Line, Scotland
*Gjøvik Line, Norway
*Main North Line, New Zealand
*Main North railway line, New South Wales, Australia
* Milwaukee District/North Line, Illinois, United States
*Northern line (underground railway) ...
also opened. The station became Lisbon's main passenger terminus until 1957, from that date only a few long-distance trains terminated at Rossio, mainly
West Line services, until the early 1990s.
Sidónio Pais, the fourth
President of Portugal, was
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
in Rossio Station in December 1918.
The station was closed to rail services from 22 October 2004 until 12 February 2008 due to tunnel renewal work.
Architecture
The
Neo-Manueline façade dominates the northwest side of the square and is a
Romantic
Romantic may refer to:
Genres and eras
* The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries
** Romantic music, of that era
** Romantic poetry, of that era
** Romanticism in science, of that e ...
recreation of the exuberant
Manueline style, typical of early 16th century Portugal. Its most interesting features are the two intertwined horseshoe portals at the entrance, the clock in a small turret and the abundant sculptural decoration. Inside, the platforms are connected by ramps to the façade level and are covered by a cast-iron structure executed by a
Belgian firm. The station is an important example of Romantic (façade) and
cast-iron (platform cover) architecture in Portugal.
The western wall of the train shed has a series of tiled pictures mixing classic religious themes with modern views of Lisbon.
On 3 May 2016, a 126-year-old statue of
Sebastian of Portugal that stood in a niche between the entrance portals was accidentally destroyed by a person who knocked it over by climbing up for a photograph. The person was arrested.
[Khalip, Andrei]
Selfie gone wrong fells 126-year-old statue of Portuguese king
''Reuters''. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
File:Estação do Rossio (Lisboa) II.jpg, upleft, Statue of King Sebastian of Portugal on the façade of the station. The statue was accidentally destroyed in 2016
File:Tiles at Rossio Station.jpg, upleft, Tiled picture on train shed wall
File:Rossio Station interior.jpg, left, Rossio station interior with Class 2300 awaiting departure
See also
*
Gare do Oriente
*
Lisbon Metro
References
{{Authority control
Railway stations in Lisbon
Railway stations opened in 1891
1891 establishments in Portugal