Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras Reservoir
In Amoreiras, the great reservoir of the Águas Livres Aqueduct, with a cascade, a 5,500 m³ tank and a roof terrace over Lisbon.
Mãe d'Água das Amoreiras Reservoir – EPAL Water Museum
In the Amoreiras Garden, the Mãe d'Água Reservoir is the end point of the Águas Livres Aqueduct, whose entry into Lisbon is marked by the arch on Rua das Amoreiras, built by the Hungarian architect Carlos Mardel between 1746 and 1748. Begun in 1746, the reservoir went through three designs and was still unfinished when Mardel died in 1763; work resumed in 1771 under Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos, who altered the roof and the cascade and replaced the four Tuscan columns Mardel had planned with sturdy square pillars. The finishing of the roof was only completed in 1834, in the reign of Maria II. The spacious, luminous interior suggests the plan of a hall church: spring water gushes from the mouth of a dolphin over a cascade built with stone brought from the aqueduct's springs, falling into a tank seven and a half metres deep with a capacity of 5,500 cubic metres. Four columns support groin vaults that carry the roof terrace, with a panoramic view over the city. On the western side stands the Casa do Registo, where the flow of water to fountains, factories, convents and noble houses was controlled. Part of the EPAL Water Museum, the reservoir welcomes self-guided and guided visits and hosts exhibitions.
Located at: EPAL – Museu da Água
Address: Praça das Amoreiras, 10, 1250-020 Lisboa
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00 (closed on Mondays and public holidays)
Phone: +351 218 100 215
Coordinates: 38.721011, -9.155589
Buses: 713, 758, 65B, 774, 706, 709, 727, 19B, 720, 738
Tram: 24E
Metro: Rato (Yellow), Marquês de Pombal (Yellow, Blue)
Opened: 1746 (280 years)
