Wanloria › Destinations › Lisbon › Belém Cultural Centre
Belém Cultural Centre
Cultural complex in Belém designed by the architects Vittorio Gregotti and Manuel Salgado. Construction began in 1989 and it opened in January 1992, to host the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is clad in bush-hammered lioz stone, the same limestone used in the nearby Jerónimos Monastery, and its layout of courtyards, bridges, ramps and pools leads the official website to compare it to a small city. It houses the Grand Auditorium with 1,429 seats, the Small Auditorium with 348, a rehearsal room, a congress centre and the Architecture Centre. The MAC/CCB contemporary art museum, which has its own entry, occupies part of the complex. Outdoors are the Jardim das Oliveiras, facing south towards the river, and the Vitorino Nemésio Terrace, with views of the Tagus and the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. It is on the Praça do Império, opposite the Jerónimos.
Add it to your trip on Wanloria →Things to do at Belém Cultural Centre: 3 missions
- Stroll through the Jardim das OliveirasWalk through the south-facing olive garden by the river and find a spot from which you can see both the garden and the building's façade.
- Climb to the Vitorino Nemésio TerraceGo up to the terrace overlooking the Tagus and frame the Padrão dos Descobrimentos from there.
- Touch the lioz stone of the façadeGo up to the outer wall and look at the bush-hammered finish of the lioz limestone. Compare it with the stone of the Jerónimos Monastery, across the square.
Near Belém Cultural Centre
Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need for Belém Cultural Centre?
Allow about 1 h 30 min for the visit.
What is there to do at Belém Cultural Centre?
Stroll through the Jardim das Oliveiras, Climb to the Vitorino Nemésio Terrace and Touch the lioz stone of the façade.
What is there to see near Belém Cultural Centre?
Berardo Collection Museum (52 m), National Museum of Archaeology (199 m) and Padrão dos Descobrimentos (281 m).