Calçada Portuguesa

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Calçada portuguesa (German: "Portuguese walkway") is a characteristic Portuguese paving , mostly made of white limestone and black basalt . In Brazil it is called Pedra Portuguesa ("Portuguese stone"), but in many countries it is also known as Mosaico Português ("Portuguese mosaic"). Not to be confused with the Calçada artistica , the “artistic walkway”, which is found in countless squares and avenues with extensive artistic decoration in Lisbon .

Calçada portuguesa in the Baixa Pombalina , Lisbon's lower town

History and present

The origins of the paving technique lie in Persia , from where it came via Mesopotamia , ancient Greece and the Roman Empire to the Iberian Peninsula . The first official, planned application of the paving technique was ordered around 1500 by King Manuel , " the lucky one" , in the area of ​​today's UNESCO monuments of the world cultural heritage , the Torre de Belém and the Jeronimos Monastery . After the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 , artistic mosaic paving was laid during the reconstruction of Lisbon.

But the present form was only found in Portugal in the 19th century. At the latest with the paving work on Castelo de São Jorge in 1842, the form of paving known today was found.

The Monumento ao Calceteiro monument in Lisbon
Calceteiros at work, Lisbon 1907
Calçada portuguesa in the pattern of the Mar Largo on Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro
Calçada portuguesa in Lisbon

The calçada portuguesa is now one of the typical Portuguese identifiers, and is a frequently used motif , especially in the tourist city ​​marketing of Lisbon, together with symbols such as the Portuguese guitar , the Lisbon tram or the Portuguese tile art .

In 1986 the city of Lisbon founded a school especially for paving art , the Escola dos Calceteiros . In 2006 a monument to the Portuguese paver ( Calceteiro ) was erected in front of the church of São Nicolau in the lower town of Lisbon , as a tribute to the physically difficult work.

distribution

The Calçada Portuguesa is common throughout Portugal, both on the mainland and in Madeira and the Azores , and in both modern designs and traditional patterns. The wave motif of the “wide sea” ( mar largo ), such as the famous Copacabana beach promenade (Rio de Janeiro) , is the most widespread internationally .

It can be found wherever there was a Portuguese presence in history, for example in Goa , India , Macau in China or in East Timor . They can also be found quite frequently in the former Portuguese colonies in Africa, for example in Angola , Cape Verde or Mozambique . But you can also see them in Hawaii or at the John Lennon Monument in New York's Central Park .

"Defusing" the calçada

In the city of Olhão in the Algarve , the first work in Portugal began in 2013 to replace the calçada with a different pavement surface and thus to "defuse" it by replacing a large part of the pavement in the old town with simple stone slabs. The measure met with opposition from some of the local residents and some spoke of it as an "insult to cultural heritage". But because of the considerable risk of slipping and falling, especially when it rains, the plans also find many supporters, especially among older people.

Other municipalities want to follow, for example the Campolide district in Lisbon , where a vote for or against “tradition” and “security” was launched in March 2015. 61.5% of residents were in favor of replacing the white pavement with a continuous floor, particularly on steep terrain. The first sidewalks will be re-paved by the end of 2015.

Web links

Commons : Portuguese pavement  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Calçada Portuguesa, pictures . trekearth.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  2. ↑ Lisbon - Sights - Footpaths . visitlisboa.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  3. ↑ A Calçada Portuguesa . lisbonlux.com. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ Retirada de calçada portuguesa em bairros históricos gera críticas em Olhão . folhadodomingo.pt. Retrieved April 6, 2015 (Portuguese).
  5. ↑ Retirada de calçada portuguesa gera críticas em Olhão . folhadodomingo.pt. dated April 22, 2014 (Portuguese).
  6. ↑ Moradores de Campolide decidiram: 61.5% querem substitir a calçada , website of the daily newspaper Público , accessed on March 6, 2015 (Portuguese).

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