Palacio da Bolsa - Porto's ancient gateway to financial markets (photo report)

Published on 16 December 2024 at 08:06

 

Located at the Rua Ferreira Borges, Palacio da Bolsa is among the older stock exchanges in Europe, or was. Its construction started on 6 October 1842 upon the instructions of the Associação Comercial do Porto. In fact, this association is still headquartered in the palace, and supports universities and corporations in the exchange of knowledge and expansion of economic activities, both at home and abroad (see https://cciporto.com/en/services/#1511366431797-27c739dd-6d533fc5-3716).

So what about trading volume? Exact statistics on the trades placed over here would take a long query, yet until the 1990s the hallway of the palace hosted the trading floor of the Porto Stock Exchange. This is no longer the case, yet the palace remains much-beloved for hosting economic, cultural, financial and political events, which is not surprising once you have seen the actual rooms. 

Below is a picture of the outside, taken from the Jardim do Infante Dom Henrique. The style of the building is largely Neo-classical from the outside and Baroque from within. Though somewhat grey, the outside proportions of the building and the roads around it are clearly visible, as is its position on a slope.  

Palacio da Bolsa is an impressive work of architecture, both from outside and within. Find out why ... 

In the main hallway  - named the Hall of Nations -  you will find a richly decorated ceiling covering the flags of countries that have engaged in trade on the exchange. It used to be the trading floor, which has been  decorated with mosaics. There is a Roman clock at the back end, and at the opposite you will find a classic thermometer. Another remarkable feature is the glass roof, which looks especially interesting at night, in contrast with the lights all around the ceiling. 


 

Behind the Hall of Nations, a staircase leads up to the various rooms. Yet the staircase itself is impressive already. In front of it, you will find two bronze chandeliers, each one weighing 1.5 tons  (you can verify this for yourself either on the internet or by attending the tour). Here too you will find plenty of Baroque decoration, extending to the roof that holds the chandeliers. 

One of the first rooms you will find is the Gustave Eiffel Cabinette, which the architect himself used as a studio from where he designed iconic works. Eiffel's master pieces in Porto includes the Ponte Luis I, or Luis I Bridge. (https://www.portorunningtours.com/blog/places-to-visit-palacio-da-bolsa)


 

Next you will find the General Assembly Room. This is where annual gatherings by the Associação Comercial do Porto are held. We have been told that the ceiling decoration is made of plastic, contrary to perception. 

 

Below you will find several photographs of the Golden Room too. The ceiling  has been richly decorated, holding multiple chandeliers. One of the walls holds photographs of the various chairmen throughout the years, the first one being Arnaldo van Zeller in 1835-36 and 1847-49. (https://geneall.net/pt/forum/72665/presidentes-da-associacao-comercial-do-porto/)
 

 

The door at the end of the Portrait room leads to by far the largest and also the most elegant space: Arabic Room, which you can find on below pictures. The decoration starts right at the door. This is where merchants used to gather to make deals. Several Arabic texts are engraved into the ceiling, the upper one of which says 'God is great' (see below). Other than that, we have been told that the room as such is a-religious in nature. 

 

Last but not least, the Palacio has a Chess Room on the ground floor, at the right when entering the hallway. Rejoice :)

 

If you proceed from there, one of the first room you will find is the Court Room, where commercial disputes used to be settled. 
Attached to it is the Jury Room (see below). 
 

 

At the rear end of the building you will find the Portraits room. Central is the portrait of former Queen Mary II, who ordered the construction of the Palacio.

On the front end of the room you will find  a portrait of King Carlos I (below photograph on the left). At the other end, there is a portrait of his son, King Dom Manuel II (second photograph below), who ascended the throne after ordering the assassination of his father. Dom Manuel II was the last king of Portugal, reigning from 1908 to 1910. 

Add comment

Comments

There are no comments yet.