Padrão dos Descobrimentos

56-meter monument honoring Portugal's explorers on the Tagus riverbank in Belém — with viewing platform.

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos — Monument to the Discoveries — rises 56 meters above the banks of the Tagus in Lisbon's Belém district. Erected in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death, it bears the imprint of the Salazar regime, which staged the Age of Discovery as a national triumph. At the front of the ship-shaped monument stands Henry's figure alongside 32 other historical figures of Portuguese seafaring. Inside, an exhibition hall and staircase lead to a viewing platform offering sweeping views over the Tagus and Belém.