The Monument of the Discoveries: The Memorial Sculpture Beside the Tagus River

Portugal is one of the countries that played an important role in world politics, being a country deeply involved in international relationships. The Portuguese made a significant contribution to the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries. Centuries later for the sake of memory of the discoverers on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean was created the majestic monument, which is now very popular with tourists.

The Monument of the Discoverers is located in the Lisbon suburb of Belem, so it's easy to include it in the visit around the city. The height of the monument is 52 meters, and the width is 20 meters, so it’s visible from a distance. 

The monument was created in 1960, on the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, and is still one of the visit cards of Lisbon. This is a copy of the monument created by the order of Antonio Salazar for the exhibition “Representation of the Portuguese World” in 1940 and dismantled 18 years later. The monument is made of concrete, and the sculptures are additionally decorated with limestones.

This attraction is fully dedicated to significant figures from the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries - navigators, writers, poets, and other important people.

Basically, the shape of the Monument of the Discoveries is a caravel, the bow of which hangs over the river and is crowned with a nine-meter statue of Henry the Navigator with a boat in his hands. Under the stone, sails stand sculptures of figures from the Age of Discovery, a time when Portugal was an influential world power. 

Among the detailed figures of rulers, navigators, scientists, cartographers, poets, missionaries, and other figures of the 15-16th century, you can see, for example, Vasco da Gama, Prince Pedro, Luis de Camoes, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Afonso de Albuquerque. In total, there are 32 sculptures on both decks of the caravel, each seven meters in height.

There is an elevator inside the monument that takes you to the observation deck. From above you can see a mosaic depicting a wind rose with a diameter of 50 meters and a map of the world, from here a panoramic view opens.

In addition, in the basement of the monument, there is a small exhibition dedicated to the Portuguese colonies.