Aqueduto das Águas Livres
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Sue Wolfe
About this spot
Aqueduto das Águas Livres is an example of 18th-century engineering. The main course covers 18km, but the whole network of canals is 58 km.
While Lisbon sits on an estuary, the Tagus River is brackish, making it unsuitable for drinking. The Alfama neighborhood was the only area with reliable spring water. As the city grew, a different source had to be found. The king instituted a tax in 1620 to raise funds for the aqueduct system but it wasn’t until 1729, after another tax increase, that plans began to take shape.
Construction began in 1731 and the arches over the Alcantara Valley were completed in 1744. A total of 35 arches spans the valley—with the world’s tallest pointed stone arch reaching 65 meters. The water started flowing in 1748 and amazingly the aqueduct remained intact during the 1755 Earthquake. The aqueduct remained operational until 1967 and was officially decommissioned in 1968.
The Aqueduto das Águas Livres was placed on the UNESCO “tentative list” in 2017 due to its cultural and engineering value.
While Lisbon sits on an estuary, the Tagus River is brackish, making it unsuitable for drinking. The Alfama neighborhood was the only area with reliable spring water. As the city grew, a different source had to be found. The king instituted a tax in 1620 to raise funds for the aqueduct system but it wasn’t until 1729, after another tax increase, that plans began to take shape.
Construction began in 1731 and the arches over the Alcantara Valley were completed in 1744. A total of 35 arches spans the valley—with the world’s tallest pointed stone arch reaching 65 meters. The water started flowing in 1748 and amazingly the aqueduct remained intact during the 1755 Earthquake. The aqueduct remained operational until 1967 and was officially decommissioned in 1968.
The Aqueduto das Águas Livres was placed on the UNESCO “tentative list” in 2017 due to its cultural and engineering value.
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