Palácio da Bolsa

After our Portuguese breakfast we were definitely sugared up and full of energy. We decided we would try for the third time to do a tour of the Palácio da Bolsa and, third time lucky. There was no long line outside, so we waited in line and purchased tickets for the 11 am tour in English.

The Palácio da Bolsa is in the historical centre of the city, located on one side of the Infante D. Henrique Square, and is classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. It was built by the Porto Commercial Association on the ruins of the Saint Francis Convent in Neoclassical style.

Queen Mary II donated the ruins to the city merchants in 1841, who decided to build the seat of the Commercial Association here. Building began in 1842 following the plans of Porto architect Joaquim da Costa Lima Júnior. Most of the palace was finished by 1850, but the decoration of the interior was only completed in 1910 and involved several artists. The staircase alone took 40 years to complete as it is carved out of granite.

The Stock Exchange Palace is the literal translation of the name. It operated as Portugal’s stock exchange until 1994. The building and it’s amazing rooms are now open to the public for tours, most rooms are available to hire for functions. They still have formal events here, movies have used the rooms and there was even a divorce party celebrated earlier this year.

The most impressive room is the Arabian room which took 18 years to complete. It contains 20 kg of gold leaf and was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada. There are two inscriptions located in the walls. One roughly translating to “With the divine support of God” and another translating to “Glory to the large Mary II”. Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves e Sousa oversaw the architectural details of this room.Read more