Lisbon Noir

The Lisbon Electricity Museum is a unique example of a well-preserved industrial site.  It opened in 2006 and shows the equipment of the old electricity generating unit in a completely renovated building. It is worth a visit both for those interested in the workings of industrial machinery and those interested in  the esthetics of old machinery and industrial buildings. It is a pity that sites  such as the Battersea Power Station, a majestic building along the Thames in London, are not preserved in the same way.

The Cemitério dos Prazeres or in English “Cemetery of Pleasure” is a historic cemetery dating back to 1833. Its streets are lined with graves resembling little  houses. And the unusual and eerie thing about a lot of these graves is that they have little “front doors” with glass windows through which you can see the caskets and remnants of the dead and their visitors.

The cemetery also provides great views over the Alcântara valley, the river Tejo and the Ponte 25 de Abril and can be reached by taking Electrico 28, which is a traditional and charming Lisbon tram,  to its last stop in Prazeres.

The Águas Livres Aqueduct spans the Alcântara valley in Lisbon with its 35 arches and is nowadays part of the Museu da Água. It is accessible to those interested and offers panoramic views over the Alcântara valley.

It also has an illustrious past because of the Spanish serial killer, Diogo Alves, who from 1836 to 1839 would hide close to the Águas Livres Aqueduct waiting for his victims who would use the aqueduct as a bridge to cross the valley. After robbing them he would throw the bodies from the top of the aqueduct and he is said to have killed 76 victims.