About Lisbon

City daylife

As one of the european capitals, Lisbon has a bustling daylife. Nothing that you can not get used soon. If you want a calm almost desert city you should go out on sunday morning. How- ever if you are a kind of person that likes a great nightlife you should not miss places as Bairro Alto, Santos, Docas de Alcântara, Expo, or one of the huge amount of disco’s that are around the city. Portuguese daylife is quite similar with others around the south Europe. Lunch is taken usually between 12h and 14h, and the typical time for dinner is around 19h and 21h. Portuguese are in general home friendly, and will not be difficult to find someone who could help you. But don’t forget that Lisbon is not a so safety place. On the public transportation and when you walk alone around, you should not have values things with you, and take care of your pockets.

City history

Were the Phoenicians the first habitants of Alis Ubbo, or it means the delightful shore. Greeks, Carthaginians succeed and after 205 BC Lis- bon was part of the Roman Empire. After some tribal chaos, the city was taken over by Moors in 714. At that time the city name was Lissabona. In 1147, the Crusaders, let by Dom Afonso Henriques (first king of Por- tugal), captured the city. Easily Lisbon starts to have an important mar- ket role, and in 1255 it became the capital. The first Portuguese university was founded here in 1290 by D. Dinis. In the 16th century it moved to Coimbra (actual University of Coimbra). Getting more and more important as a european trading port, was from here that on the 15th and 16th many navigators depart to create a vast empire around the world. In July 1497 was Vasco da Gama who left Lis- bon to found a sea route to India. In March 1500 was Bartolomeu Dias who found Brazil. Capital of this huge empire, Lisbon lived during the 16th century a time of prosperety, being built so nice places as Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (Hi- eronymites Monastery). In 1755 a big earthquakes hit the city, followed for devastating fires and a tsunami. The city get in ruins, and was Marquês de Pombal who began rebuilding it, creating large and straight streets, in a easy grid style. After it came difficult times, and in 1908, at the height of the turbulent republican movement, Dom Carlos (last king of Portugal) and his eldest son were assassinated in Praça do Comércio. At the begining republic was too unsteady, and was followed for a dictatorship (António Sala- zar). In 25th April 1974 the Carnation Revolution returns back a Repub- lic state. During the WWII Lisbon was one of the very few neutral open European Atlantic ports. Last years, Lisbon was part of so huge happenings as EXPO98, Rock in Rio or UEFA Euro 2004.