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Queluz History
This once upon a time small village to the north-west of Lisbon has become a
tourist attraction because of its charming Royal Palace. In 1747, the architect
Mateus Vicente de Oliveira was commissioned by the royal Prince Dom Pedro to
transform his occasional hunting lodge into a special summer palace. Firstly,
the main quarters were built along with the Music Room and the Chapel. After the
marriage in 1760 of Dom Pedroto his wife later to be Queen Maria I, the French
architect Jean-Baptiste Robillion was commissioned to create the Throne Room,
redesign the Music Room, and implant a sumptuous garden in the grounds. In this
impressive romantic creation the Royal Family held court. According to the words
of a passing visitor, Lord William Beckford, operas, concerts and balls were
performed with Maria�s I personal orchestra then rated as "the best in Europe�.
Unfortunately for the Royal Family, the Queen became mentally unstable in 1788
due to her son Dom Jos� having died of smallpox. Upon the invasion of the French
in 1807 her other son Jo�o VI, and as acting Regent decided to flee with the
Queen Maria to Brazil.
One of the attractions of this palace is its beautiful decorated gardens. The
layout was designed by Jean Baptiste Robillion who chose a semi-formal Italian
style, and decorated with a boating canal, numerous fountains, and period
reproduction sculptures from John Cheere The Royal Kitchens have been converted
into a fine quality restaurant where a visitor may sample throughout the year
special prepared traditional Portuguese food and an impressive selection of
different Portuguese wines.
The Palace is open to visitors except when being used for an official State
function.
Queluz Map (Click Here)
Queluz Weather
     
Queluz Information
 112 - SOS
800 296 296 - Support to Tourists
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Portugal Golf
