Lisbon

Lisbon commented by Braun

“In historical times there where two cities we might call “Ruler of the oceans and the high seas”, from where ships could set sail for the East and the West: one is Seville, the other Lisbon. […] Lisbon is one of three episcopal cities within the Kingdom of Spain, whose main church, the Catedral Se Patriarcal, is magnificently decorated and worth seeing.”

Original title: – Olissippo quae nunc Lisboa, Civitatas Amplissima Lustinaniae…

Translation of caption: Olisippo, which is today called Lisbon, the largest city of Lusitania, situated on the Tejo. The most moted centre of trade for the entire Orient, for many islands, for Africa and America.

Taschen on Lisbon

The combination of side view and bird’s-eye view emphasizes the city’s geographical situation. A legend allows us to identify famous buildings such as the Castelo de São Jorge (1) on the skyline, which was conquered by the Moors early on, in the 8th century AD, and restored to Portuguese possession by Alfonso I as late as 1147. Today the ruined fortress offers the best view of the city. Beneath it lies the Romanesque and Gothic cathedral of Se Patriarcal (79). Lying immediately beside the Tejo is the Lower Town of Baixa, bounded by the hill bearing ther fortress and the Upper Town of Bairro Alto. As two-thirds of Lisbon was destroyed by an earthquake on 1 November 1755, the illustrations in the Civitates orbis terrarum provide important records of the city’s former appearance. After the earthquake, the Lower Town was rebuilt in the style of the 18th century.

On the River Tagus: The Tagus is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. It is 1,007 km (626 mi) long, 716 km (445 mi) in Spain, 47 km (29 mi) along the border between Portugal and Spain and 275 km (171 mi) in  Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean near  Lisbon. Thus, it links Toledo to Lisbon!