Palácio da Bolsa, Porto
The Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) is a 19th century Neoclassical building located next to the Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis) in the UNESCO World Heritage Listed historic area of Porto.
The cloisters of the church were destroyed by a fire in 1832 and the land was subsequently donated by the monarch of the time to the merchants of Porto, who built their stock exchange and commercial association on the land between 1842 and 1910.
The building served as a major Portuguese stock exchange before its activities merged with the Lisbon stock exchange in the 1990's.
History
The Palacio da Bolsa was constructed to impress European business people with its extravagant decor and encourage them to invest in Portugal.
The ground floor's central courtyard (Pátio das Nações) was the original trading floor and is covered by a large octagonal dome done with metal frames and glass panels, designed by Tomás Soler and built from 1880.
Underneath the glass are the painted coats-of-arms of Portugal and the countries with which it had economic relations in the 19th century.
A granite stairway, built in 1868 by Gonçalves e Sousa, leads to the upper floors. Decorative details on the stairway include garlands of flowers, fluted pilasters and Corinthian capitals.
Rooms
The Sala dos Jurados (Jury Room) includes 12 paintings donated to the institution by the artist Henrique Medina.
The Sala Dourada (Golden Room) displays painted portraits of former presidents, the longest serving being in office during the authoritarian Salazar period.
The Sala das Assembleias Gerais (General Meeting Room) still hosts the biannual meetings of the Porto Commercial Association. The highlight of the room is the superb plasterwork made to look like wood, a technique also seen at the Livraria Lello & Irmão bookshop.
Arab Hall
The pièce de résistance of the Palácio da Bolsa is the Salão Árabe (Arab Hall) by architect Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves de Sousa, who was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Grenada, Spain. This faux Arabian style was much in fashion at the time and was built from 1862 to 1880. As in the rest of the building, here too, the floor is made from the finest woods such as mahogany, rosewood, satinwood, rosewood and maple.
The Arab Hall is the most important room in the Palácio da Bolsa and was used as a concert hall and ballroom. The room was most recently restored in 2009-2010.
The Sala dos Retratos (Picture Hall) is decorated in the style of Louis XVI style and celebrates the last six kings of the Braganza dynasty. What stands out most in this space is the floor with an unusual visual effect of illusory depth.
The table in this room is the work of Zeferino José Pinto and took three years to complete, receiving an honorable mention at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867.
The exuberant Sala do Tribunal (Court Room) is done in the French Renaissance style, with the paintings referencing the importance of the port wine trade in Porto.
The Biblioteca (Library) is not open to visitors but contains a valuable collection of books. It was here that the members of the Porto Commercial Association read newspapers from around the world and consulted financial reports. Equally of note are the artistic clocks in the room, as well as two huge nineteenth century globes.
The Palacio da Bolsa includes a store selling crafts from the region and the recommended O Comercial restaurant.
Access & Hours
Palacio da Bolsa Porto (palaciodabolsa.com)
Rua Ferreira Borges, 4050-253 Porto
Tel: 223 399 000
Hours: November - March 9 am - 12.30 pm; 2 pm - 5.30 pm
April - October 9 am - 6.30 pm
Admission: 8 Euros (2016); includes guided tour (available in Portuguese, Spanish, French & English)
Nearby
The Palacio da Bolsa is built on land that was once the convent of São Francisco which burnt down in the 1830's. The Igreja de São Francisco still stands and is just to the south towards the river.
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