Praça do Comércio

Right in front stands one of the grandest squares ever rebuilt from tragedy. Praça do Comércio, the Commerce Square, rose from the ruins after the catastrophic 1755 earthquake leveled the royal Ribeira Palace that had stood here for over 200 years. King Manuel I had built that palace in the early 1500s, moving the entire royal court down from the hilltop castle to be right on the Tagus River where ships arrived laden with riches from across the world.

The Marquis of Pombal saw an opportunity in the destruction. He designed this massive square to declare Portugal's ambitions as a commercial empire. The symmetrical yellow buildings surrounding you housed customs offices and government bureaus that controlled every ounce of trade flowing through the port. Spices from India, gold from Brazil, ivory from Africa all passed through here. The bronze statue in the center honors King José I, erected in 1775 as Portugal's first monumental royal statue.

At 35,000 square meters, this became one of Europe's largest squares. But the square witnessed darker history too. On February 1, 1908, King Carlos I and his eldest son were assassinated right here as their carriage crossed the square. Republican shooters Manuel Buíça and Alfredo Luís da Costa fired from the crowd, killing them both. Two years later, the monarchy collapsed entirely after 771 years of rule.