Aqueduto das Águas Livres
Place of Interest
This historic aqueduct is one of the most impressive examples of 18th century engineering in Portugal. It stretches over 18 km and is part of a larger network of canals that extends approximately 58 km.
It was originally built by King John V in 1731 in order to bring drinking water to the people of Lisbon, since the 1700s that drinking water was becoming scarce due to the rapid expansion of the city.
A remarkable example of hydraulics, the Free Waters (Águas Livres) aqueduct collects and transports water using gravity. It brings water from the Mother of Water (Mãe d'Água) well in the hills to a reservoir downtown.
This well-built structure was one of the few that survived the 1755 earthquake unscathed and since 1910 it has been designated a National Monument.