Tapada da Ajuda, Botanical park in Alcântara, Lisbon, Portugal
Tapada da Ajuda is a large green estate with gardens, tree nurseries, orchards, vineyards, and meadows spread across the grounds. The site serves teaching and research for the affiliated agriculture school and offers walking paths for visitors to explore.
The grounds began as a royal hunting estate before being converted into an educational facility in the late 1700s. The University of Lisbon has managed and used the land for agricultural teaching and research ever since.
The grounds carry the name of their historical owner and serve today as a teaching space for the university. Visitors can observe how plant breeding and agricultural practices are demonstrated through working gardens and fields.
Admission is free and visitors can walk the marked paths without needing a guide. There is an elevated viewpoint overlooking the Tagus River, and the grounds are easily explored on foot.
Archaeological digs on the grounds have uncovered remains of a Bronze Age settlement beneath the grounds. These findings show the site has been inhabited and used by people for thousands of years.
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