And what's not the surprise when you arrive at an airport, train station or subway and are you surprised by the beauty of the buildings that house it? There were times when these buildings were just functional and there was no concern for details and beauty beyond their mere initial function: housing passengers. But thankfully some artists joined architects and designed architectural works of art to be not just functional, but true beauties to behold.
Some Portuguese train stations have huge, elaborate tile panels, almost like puzzles. Others are imposing buildings that look like real palaces. Let's 'travel' through the five most beautiful train stations in Portugal. (order is random)
São Bento – Porto
Located in the Historic Center of Portugal's second largest city, São Bento station is one of the must-visit places for anyone in the city, even if they don't use the train. With a glass and cast iron roof, the building was designed by architect José Marques da Silva and is classified as a Property of Public Interest.
To highlight its grandeur and beauty, be dazzled in the main lobby (Pt: gare), which is covered with more than 20,000 tiles, making it one of the greatest monuments of Portuguese tiles. The panels are the work of painter and ceramist Jorge Colaço, the tile panels illustrate not only important moments in the history of Portugal, but also the evolution of transport and the country's regions. The beautiful São Bento station was built during the 9th century on the rubble of an old convent.
Vilar Formoso Station – Vilar Formoso
Anyone who visits this city at the border of Spain, in the Guarda region, cannot miss – and be surprised – by the town's beautiful train station. Whoever designed the building's work seemed to want to cover the entire available space in tiles, in more than 50 panels. These beautiful works of art of Portuguese tiles show the tourist beauties of Portugal in the 30s and 40s, as well as older monuments such as the Belém Tower, the Guimarães Castle and the Batalha Monastery, just to name a few.
The station, with its tile decoration, is one of the most beautiful in the country and was born from the mind of the artist João Alves de Sá, also responsible for panels in other train stations such as Rio Tinto, Estremoz or Sul and Sudeste, in Lisbon. .
Aveiro Station – Aveiro
The city in central Portugal, known as the Portuguese Venice because of its canals and also famous for its egg sweets, has a train station that will surprise you. The station building has a facade entirely decorated with polychrome tiles, in blue and yellow tones, which represent various railway, natural and cultural scenes and traditional activities.
The great difference of the tile work is the fact that the facade is polychrome (contains blue and yellow tiles), which makes it stand out, as at the time of its construction blue and white tiles were used. Among the motifs and scenes that must be contemplated are the fisherman, the fishmonger, Aveiro's central canal, the salt pans, the city's weapons, among others.
Rossio Station – Lisbon
One of the most famous stations in the country, it is located in the Historic Center of the capital, Lisbon. Located between Praça do Rossio and Praça dos Restauradores, the station is not covered in tiles, but rather represents the essence of the neo-Manueline style, with many details and carved in stone. The station was built between 1886 and 1887, with the main objective of connecting Lisbon to Sintra.
It is a bold architectural work for the time as it used a style of architecture used mostly in royal buildings, those of nobility or those linked to power. It was a break in concepts created by architect José Luís Monteiro who created one of the first buildings with public functions in the noble style.
Recently renovated, the station surprises with its facade of eight doors that match the nine windows and the clock located at the central top, richly decorated. Because it is made of stone, the original white has been lost, giving way to the current grayish white that time has imprinted on it. It made her even more beautiful.
Pinhão – Alijó Station
Pinhão Station, located on the right bank of the Douro River, is another great example of Portuguese architecture. The building is covered with panels painted by the artist J.Oliveira, who was inspired to create the panels by old photographic records of the demarcated Douro region, and represent landscapes, customs and agricultural work in this mountainous region dedicated to wine.
The tile covering was made in 1937, by a factory located in Aveiro. But this is one of the only ones (among around twenty existing in this line) that are active and being conserved. Most are in complete abandonment, with visible signs of destruction. A great shame!
