The Botanical Garden of Lisbon reopens this Saturday after 1 year and a half of waiting
The Botanical Garden of Lisbon is one of the most beautiful in Portugal. It has been closed since 2016 to undergo extensive requalification work, approved under the participatory budget of the Lisbon City Council. The wait is over because this Saturday, April 7, the Botanical Garden of Lisbon finally reopens to the public. And, according to the Lisbon City Council, it is more durable and beautiful than ever. Bob, the Expatriate Assistant in Lisbon and Portugal, tells you everything.
According to the Lisbon City Council, the works to which the Garden has been subjected are mainly infrastructural, but the new paving of all the roads or the recovery of the grids are now visible. Now important points for the observation of botanical collections have been highlighted: you can enjoy species that were planted more than 140 years ago.
One of the most beautiful gardens of Lisbon and Portugal
Another important change is the lake below, which was empty due to cracks and whose rehabilitation work is now complete. It is even expected that some of the lake's water will be captured from natural sources. The Garden is also equipped with drinking fountains, with a new amphitheater in the arboretum, a leisure space that the City Council intends to energize with the events.
In terms of infrastructure, it will be equipped with an improved irrigation system that will expand the watering area, reducing water wastage.
In October 2013 the project won the 2013 participatory budget of the city of Lisbon, with 500,000 euros awarded, to increase the sustainability of botanical gardens in terms of water and irrigation.
The history of the Botanical Garden of Lisbon
The Garden, inaugurated in 1878 to support the teaching of botany at the Polytechnic School of the time, has always been a place of compulsory walk for the inhabitants of Lisbon. It has representative plants from all over the world and from all eras and has been listed since 2010 as a national monument.
This Saturday it will be officially reopened, with the presence, at 11 am, of the mayor of Lisbon, Fernando Medina, and the rector of the University of Lisbon, António Cruz Serra.
The reopening program will continue into the afternoon, with guided tours by conservators and technicians from the Lisbon Botanical Garden. Visits are free with pre-registration at 21 392 1808 or geral@museus.ulisboa.pt.