Lisbon has a wealth of cultural and historical "hotspots" to offer its visitors, two examples of this are detailed below.
Belem Tower (Torre de Belem)
Dating back to the early 16th century, the Belem Tower is a fortified tower, located in the Belem district.
Portugal's naval strategy and the sea routes of the time made Lisbon a natural port of call for those engaged in international maritime trade.
It was therefore necessary to build an adequate defence system; the Belem Tower was part of this, protecting both the entrance to the Tagus River and the Jeronimos Monastery.
Over time and with the construction of more modern and efficient fortresses the Tower has been used for other functions such as; customs post, telegraph office, a lighthouse and during 1580 a political prison.
The tower is now seen as an iconic piece of Portuguese architecture and in 1983 was classified as a "World Heritage Cultural Site" by UNESCO.
Jeronimos Monastery (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos)
Taking 50 years to complete, Jeronimos Monastery is considered the most impressive symbol of Portugal's power and wealth during the Age of Discovery.
At the time the monastery was used by monks whose spiritual job was to give guidance to sailors and pray for the king's soul.
There where various sculptors that worked on the monastery, each of which left their mark of elaborate sculptural details and maritime motifs in the limestone, such as; coils of rope, sea monsters and coral.
Jeronimos is a magnificent monastery, which today, is considered the most prominent monument of Lisbon. It is for this reason it too, was classified in 1983 by UNESCO.