Palácio da Pena

- Pena Palace, Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais

Pena Palace (Palácio Nacional de Pena), a colourful fairy tale looking castle, is the most common reason to go to Sintra. To get there you have to take a local bus up the mountains. The views from the yards around the castle, that stands on a high hill in the Sintra Mountains, are incredible. On a clear day you can see Lisbon. The style is a mix of romanesque-revival and neo manueline, painted in yellow. red and grey. The castle was built in 1834, so it is much newer when you might think. It was built in medieval style, inspired by castles in Germany, after an idea by prince Ferdinand, later king. Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege was the main architect. King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II were much involved in much of the design, that included symbolism. The history of Pena Palace begun in the middle ages, when a chapel to Our Lady of Pena was built. Pena is a national monument, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is sometimes used for state occasions by the president of Portugal. There is a large beautiful park, Parque da Pena, surrounding the palace. The interior of the castle, that can be visited (but we did not), is more traditional in its style, a large contrast to the exterior with its colourful vaults, tiles and terraces.

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