Castelo da Dona Chica, Art Nouveau manor house in Palmeira, Portugal.
Castelo da Dona Chica is a four-story manor house with Art Nouveau features located in Palmeira. The building showcases ornate wooden and iron windows, green roof tiles, and blends Gothic elements with Renaissance and Romanesque details.
A Swiss architect designed this manor in 1915 for a Portuguese couple with Brazilian connections. Construction halted in 1919 and never resumed afterward.
The manor reflects early 20th-century tastes of northern Portugal, blending architectural styles from different periods into one residence. The rooms and their details show how a wealthy family once lived in this place.
The grounds feature walking paths through dense vegetation with many exotic plant species. Visitors can explore the unfinished interior and a small lake on the property.
The interior remained unfinished, showing what a construction site looked like in the early 1900s. This frozen state offers a rare glimpse into the building methods of that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.