Friday, August 24, 2012

Queluz Palace near Lisbon, Portugal

The Queluz Palace is a magnificent royal palace situated in the town of Queluz, near Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. This pink palace resembles the Versailles Palace, and boasts of the finest example of Rococo architecture in the whole of Portugal. The Queluz Palace was constructed in the 17th century as a manor house for King Pedro II. It was later expanded, and turned into a majestic palace, with grandiose rooms for balls and banquets.

One of the most beautiful rooms in the Queluz Palace is the elegant Throne Room, which is adorned with mirrors, gilded statues and crystal chandeliers. Check out the photo of the Throne Room below. Other rooms in this palace are the Music Room (for concerts and orchestras), the Ambassador’s Room (with marble flooring and a ceiling painting of the royal family), the Gun Room (painted with frescoes of trees and foliage), the Kings’s master bedroom, the Queen’s Boudoir, and a square room with murals from the ‘Don Quixote’ novel.

Throne Room in Queluz National Palace, Lisbon, Portugal

The other rooms at the Queluz Palace in Portugal are decorated with Arraiolos carpets, fine porcelain and bespoke English and French furniture. All rooms at the palace are decorated with gilded woodcarvings, in traditional Portuguese style, with many having portraits of the Portuguese royal family. In fact, the architecture of the Queluz Palace represents the final extravagant period of Portuguese culture, which came about after gold was discovered in Brazil in 1690.

The erstwhile royal kitchen of the Queluz National Palace is today a bustling restaurant named The Cozinha Velha, which is renowned for its delicious traditional desserts. This restaurant has preserved some of the old architectural features of the palace, including an old stone chimney, a vaulted ceiling and grand arches. There was also a royal chapel in the Queluz Palace, where the royal family used to attend mass daily.

Rococo Exterior of Queluz Palace

The Queluz National Palace in Lisbon also has a beautiful formal garden, which is decorated with fountains, and ornate statues of classical mythological figures. The ‘Hanging Garden’ is a small garden within this garden, which is located on a raised terrace, surrounded by a three-walled courtyard. There is also a beautiful canal, lined with blue and yellow azulejo tiles, within the Queluz Palace complex. The Portuguese royal family often used to take quiet boat rides along this water canal.

Today, the premises of the Queluz Palace in Portugal are used for musical concerts, as well as for state receptions for visiting heads of states, diplomats and other foreign government officials. Some famous dignitaries who have stayed at this Lisbon Palace are Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and President Eisenhower.

Read about other beautiful palaces:

No comments: