Description of the attraction
The historic building in neoclassical architectural style is located in the central part of the city of Porto on the Piazza Infanta Henriques (Heinrich the Navigator), which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Bourse Palace (Palacio da Bolsa) is located behind the Church of Saint Francisco, which was part of a Franciscan monastery founded in the 13th century. During the Portuguese Civil War in 1832, a fire destroyed the galleries of the monastery, but did not affect the church. In 1841, Queen Mary II donated the remaining ruins of the monastery to the city's merchants, who decided to build a building on the site for the Commercial Association.
Construction work on the building began in 1842 according to a plan drawn up by the local architect Joaquim da Costa Lima Junior and lasted until 1860. Most of it was completed by 1850, but the interior decoration of the building, which was carried out by several artists, was not completed until 1910 and deserves special attention.
The Stock Exchange Palace consists of many rooms, each of which has its own name and architectural features. The central courtyard (Courtyard of Nations) is covered with an octagonal glass dome, the lower part of the dome is decorated with the coats of arms of the countries with which Portugal had trade relations in the 19th century. A chic staircase leads to the upper floors, which is decorated with sculptural busts created by the outstanding sculptors Antonio Soares Dos Reis and Antonio Teixeira Lopez.
In separate rooms of the Palace - the Tribunal Hall, the Golden Hall, the Assembly Hall - there are allegorical paintings by artists Jose Maria Veloso Salgado and João Marquez de Olivera, sculptures by Teixeira Lopez and other works of art. The most striking room of the Palace is the Arabian Hall. The room is decorated in exotic neo-Moorish style and is used as a reception hall for famous personalities and heads of state who are visiting Porto.
