Description of the attraction
The Búsacu Palace Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Sierra do Busacu highlands, a national forest reserve in the north of Portugal. The area around the Busaku Palace used to belong to the Barefoot Carmelite Monastery, founded in 1628. The monks not only built the monastery, but also created a luxurious garden, where all kinds of plants and trees grew.
At the end of the 17th century, chapels were built on the territory. Part of the monastery, including a chapel with altarpieces in the Baroque style, a covered gallery and several monastic cells, has survived to this day and are located next to the hotel. At the entrance to the ancient monastery there is a plaque dedicated to the Battle of Busaku, which serves as a reminder that Viscount Wellington, who later became Duke of Wellington, spent the night at the monastery after the battle on September 27, 1810.
The Carmelites left Busaca in the middle of the 19th century as the religious order in Portugal was liquidated. Later it was planned to turn the old monastery into a royal residence for Queen Maria Pia, wife of King Luis I, but due to the political situation, it was decided to turn the palace into a hotel.
Presumably the palace hotel was built between 1888 and 1907. The first architect was the Italian Luigi Manini, who designed the palace in the neo-Manueline style. The interior rooms are decorated with luxurious portals in the same style. The walls are decorated with the famous Portuguese tiles "azulejo" under the direction of Jorge Colazo and depict various historical events, such as the Battle of Busacu.
