The crystal palace of Porto

A symbol of progress 

  'PROGREDIOR' was deliberately written over the front doors of the first grand Exhibition hall of Porto, the 'PALÁCIO DE CRISTAL' - the word 'progredior' means 'progress' in Latin and it was deeply symbolic. In the mid 1800s, Portugal, and in particular the city of Porto, were trying hard to catch up with Europe and US's industrial revolution and, at the same time, going through a period of intense... romanticism!

The merchants and industrials of Porto were bohemian, wealthy and seeking class and personal affirmation. A small group of Industrials - an association called AIP - decided it was time for Porto to have a grand exhibition hall, one that could host trade shows, large scale festivals, huge banquets, a space worthy of the the rising bourgeoisie of Porto... all of this surrounded by these 'staged' romantic gardens filled with exotic trees and wandering peacocks, fake ruins, fountains and small lakes, classical looking statues: a dignified space for poets and artists looking for inspiration or for those merely looking for romance, during those long lazy Sunday walks... wearing their best Sunday outfits...!

 Palácio de Cristal (1865 — 1951) was therefore the materialization of their aspirations. British inspired - the model was the 1851s Crystal Palace, in London - this new 'palace' was designed by  Dillen Jones, one of the many British architects who performed work on projects in Porto during the previous decades. ​

LARGE ENOUGH FOR AIRSHIPS!

The dimensions impressed many of the Portuguese visitors: 150meters(492feet) long, 72 meters(236feet) high. The first event, a massive Industrial exhibition in 1865, gathered more than 3.000 different exhibitors, one third of which were foreign. 

In its central nave there was enough space for airships and the small airplanes of the early 1900s.

  The crystal palace was also an important place for cultural and music events: its pipe organ (in the background of this photo) was amongst the world's biggest and there were numerous classical music concerts held inside.
​

 The surrounding romantic gardens and the linden trees promenade - along which we can still walk (or run!) nowadays - were one of many green spaces designed in the city by Émile David, a landscape architect of German origin, during the second half of the 1800s. 

​  Many different trade fairs were held inside, including those to promote the well established Port wine business. The building also included a casino with gambling and dancing rooms and a restaurant.

​Its British inspiration

The original Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and plate-glass structure originally built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, an exhibition space to display examples of technology developed in the Industrial Revolution.  It was 1,851 feet (564 m) long, three times the size of St Paul's Cathedral and more than three times the size of Porto's Crystal Palace, whose first stone was laid one decade later, in 1861.

The gigantic Crystal Palace of London, in 1851. When it was relocated, it became even bigger! 

A naval gun and its shells being prepared for display inside London's Crystal Palace, in 1920.

Present day: Rosa Mota sports pavilion

The sports pavilion's present name is borrowed from Portugal's first female olympic gold medalist and a Portuense, Rosa Mota - this was discussed in a previous post - you can see it >HERE<. It is however interesting to know what the arena was built for. In fact, this UFO-shaped half-sphere that 'landed' in the gardens of Palácio de Cristal was built  with the purpose of hosting the 1952's roller hockey World Championship - a very popular sport back then, in Portugal.

Fun fact: its green dome was not built in time for the championship - all games were therefore played open air and the warm summer temperatures may have been determinant to the Portuguese team's victory!

source: Porto de Antanho

The sports pavilion Rosa Mota is now one of the most photogenic places for an action pic during some of our running tours...!

FUTURE PLANS - SUPER BOCK ARENA

For the last few months, the Rosa Mota sports pavilion has been undergoing a deep renovation process, scheduled to end this October. The renovated arena will have a new designation, to honor the renovation's main sponsor and its tenant for the next 20 years - the most popular beer brand of Porto, 'Super Bock'.  The video below (Portuguese language) is an overview of the project.

However, for most of the Portuenses, this will always be their cherished... Palácio de Cristal!

B&W photos in this blog post - credits:

Casa Alvão
AHCMP
Aurélio da Paz dos Reis
Photografia Guedes
Porto Desaparecido - facebook community
Monumentos Desaparecidos

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