Lisbon’s unique Aqueduct (from 1731, 65 m tall) & aqueduct serial killer Alves

Really worth a visit!

Water was in scarce supply even for Lisbon’s earliest inhabitants. In 1731 Portugal’s King João V (John V) decided to build an aqueduct (Aqueduto das Águas Livres, ‘free waters’). The project was paid by a special sales tax on beef, olive oil, wine and other products.

Aqueduct Lisbon (Aqueduto das Águas Livres), October 2022

Magnificent construction & misunderstandings

The magnificent construction caused constant misunderstandings between the royal power, engineers, architects and municipal institutions; abusive clerical interference found its way into the fray.

Aqueduct Lisbon (Aqueduto das Águas Livres, October 2022

Water Museum

Today, what the Portuguese think of as the Lisbon Aqueduct is that gigantic set or arches spanning the Alcântara valley, ending at the Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras Reservoir (Water Museum) of Amoreiras..

View from the Aqueduct Lisbon, October 2022

The main course of the aqueduct covers 18 km, but the whole network of canals extends through nearly 58 km. Its source is known as Águas Livres and is located in Caneças.

Aqueduct Lisbon (Aqueduto das Águas Livres, October 2022

important sources of water supply

The aqueduct consist of a complex series of underground galleries, arches and skylights linked to the visible principal body, known as the General Aqueduct. These are scattered all over the city, giving rise to numerous fonts which, in times gone by, were important sources of water supply for the city.

Entrance Water Museum Lisbon, Calçada da Quintinha, 6, Lisboa

Concluded in 1834 (although it began to supply water to Lisbon in 1748), displays visible Gothic influences in a period dominated by the Baroque style.

More information about architects and engineers

Water Museum (Mãe d’Água), Lisbon

Video Museu da Água  YouTube

After the earthquake of 1755, architect Custódio Vieira was granted pardon for the profligacy for which he had been accused owing to the amount of iron he used to strengthen the arch’s structure, for, despite being located on a seismic faultline, it had resisted the quake.

Water Museum (Mãe d’Água) Lisbon, October 2022

Diogo Alves, the ‘Aqueduct serial killer’

The public walkway along the interior gallery, named Arches Walk, which once offered a wonderful panoramic view to pedestrians, has been closed since 1844 due to the large number of suicides and murders, including those committed by the famous bandit Diogo Alves , the ‘Aqueduct serial killer’.

Aqueduct Lisbon. Picture:  Paulo Juntas (Wikipedia), Aqueduct arches (65 m tall) over the Alcântara valley.

‘ Water Museum, Calçada da Quintinha, 6, Lisboa, in charge of the aqueduct, organizes guided visits and tours.

Opening Hours | Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5:30 pm (closed for lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 pm). More: Wikipedia     Facebook 
Useful information

October 1st 2022: Aqueduct Lisbon & members of NV Lissabon

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