01/08/2008

#214 - Elevador de Santa Justa, August 2008 Theme Day: Metal











214 elevador 1

Santa Justa Lift

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Santa Justa Lift (Elevador de Santa Justa), also called Carmo Lift (Elevador doCarmo), is a lift in the city of Lisbon at Santa Justa Street. It connects downtown streets with the uphill Carmo Square.

The Santa Justa Lift was designed by Raul Mesnier de Ponsard, an engineer born in Oporto to French parents, and apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. Construction began in 1900 and was finished in 1902; originally powered by steam, it was converted to electrical operation in 1907.

The iron lift is 45 metres tall and is decorated in neogothic style, with a different pattern on each storey. The top storey is reached by helicoidal staircases and has a terrace that offers views of Lisbon Castle, the Rossio Square and the Baixa neighbourhood. There are two elevator booths. Each has wooden interior and accommodates 24 people.

The lift has become a tourist attraction in Lisbon as, among the urban lifts in Lisbon, Santa Justa is the only vertical one. Others, including Elevador da Glória and Elevador da Lavra, are more like funiculars that help climb the slopes of Lisbon.



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10 comments:

George Townboy said...

Gorgeous photos of the lift. Perfect for the Metal theme. And the information is excellent and well written!

Awesome!!

kuanyin333 said...

Such beautiful photos of this amazing edifice!

USelaine said...

It's marvelous how much attention to detail was given to structures in those days. Thanks for posting these.

Oman said...

great shots for the theme. definitely a postcard moment.

it warmed me-up in this rainy day. have a nice day maria.

Jilly said...

What a fabulous lift. Has to be one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Great shots. An original choice for today.

Sally said...

Yes, I've never seen anything like this before. Astonishing!

Sydney Daily Photo

Abby said...

The Portuguese leave nothing unadorned. You are as amazing with metal as you are with stone. To think this was done so long ago. I can't even imagine all the work that must have gone into this for the sheer purpose of bringing beauty to the world. Marvelous.

Janet Kincaid said...

Gorgeous lift! And very interesting information. I learned something new today. Thank you!

I'll bet the views from the top are amazing!

Happy Theme Day!

Janet

rc said...

great pictures.... nice detail of the elevator

Small City Scenes said...

WOW! That is very interesting about the lift. I like learning things.
the iron work is great. MB