Lisbon Noir

An abandoned warehouse along the river Tejo (Tagus) in Lisbon.

The Barbadinhos Steam Pumping Room is part of the Museu da Água and although it is not as centrally located as the two reservoirs, the Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras Reservoir and the Patriarcal Reservoir, it is worth the visit. And if you are there at the right time you can even see and hear the pumping room in action.

Abandoned building on Calçada do Marquês de Abrantes.

A lot of major cities around the world are intertwined with industrial sites that historically have been an inseparable and necessary part of the economic welfare of these cities.  A lot of these industrial buildings and sites have been demolished over the years, but fortunately not everywhere and some of these sites have been preserved by artists and local residents who moved in and created their own communities.

Good examples are Dumbo, in Brooklyn, NY where almost an entire neighborhood consisting of former factories and warehouses now has been converted to artist spaces, galleries, shops and living spaces and the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam, the Netherlands where an old gas works factory is used by artists and for cultural activities.

In Lisbon there is also such a converted industrial site, which is called the LXFactory. It lies in the shadow of the 25 de Abril Bridge in Alcântara, which through the late 19th century was an industrial area with lots of small factories and warehouses, however a lot of these buildings have been demolished over the years.

LXFactory consists of several buildings which have been converted to artist spaces, offices, small stores and a nice taverna where visitors and residents can have a drink and something to eat.

LXFactory
Rua Rodrigues de Faria, 103
1300-501, Lisbon

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Throughout Lisbon you can find remnants of an extensive aqueduct system, called Aqueduto das Águas Livres (or “Aqueduct of the Free Waters”). It was built in the 18th century and at that time supplied Lisbon with much needed drinking water.  Nowadays it is no longer in use and parts have been destroyed but through the Museu da Água (or “Water Museum”) you can still access two reservoirs, the Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras Reservoir, which is the largest reservoir, and the Patriarcal Reservoir, the Barbadinhos Steam Pumping Room and part of the Águas Livres Aqueduct itself.

Reservatório da Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras & Reservatório da Patriarcal

Abandoned building close to the waterfront in Santos.