Story
The story of Belém Tower
Many people will tell you this tower was built in the middle of the Tagus and only ended up near the shore after the 1755 earthquake moved the river. That is not true: it was built on a small island close to the Lisbon bank. King John II had wanted a strong fort here to guard the river's mouth, but he died before any plans were drawn.
King Manuel I took up the idea, and the military architect Francisco de Arruda built the tower, finishing it in 1519. Made of lioz limestone from the Lisbon region, it rises 30 metres over four storeys and is a prime example of the Manueline style, with minarets inspired by Moorish architecture. Look for the carved rhinoceros: it recalls a real animal that an Indian ruler gave to King Manuel, the same one Albrecht Dürer immortalised in his drawings. In 1580 the garrison surrendered to Spanish forces after a few hours of battle.
Since 1983 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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