The Edward VII Park
This park’s wide lawn of geometrically placed boxwood parterres rises progressively to the top of the hill as a visual extension of the Avenida da Liberdade (or Liberty Avenue) . From that vantage point, a splendid view of the city’s main axis can be enjoyed, with the Castelo and Chiado hills on either side of the Baixa district and the river down below.
A wide avenue divides the park into two halves of similar size.
The eastern half is the site of the neobaroque Carlos Lopes Pavilion, originally built in Rio de Janeiro for the 1923 World Fair and later rebuilt on its current site for the Exposition of Portuguese Industry in 1932. Flanked by gardens also dating back to that time, the park has interesting sculpture and structures for climbing plants as well as Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) and False Pepper trees (Schinus molle) that complement the shrubs and rose bushes.
West of the main axis, a large lake was built, and in 1930 the famous Estufa Fria, a very large greenhouse built of wooden lattice provides shade and stabilizes temperatures so that tropical species from Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Australia, Korea and China can grow. Sculptures from the 1930s add character to the park’s bodies of water and plants.