Statue of Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo, Jardim do Estoril, Portugal
A bronze statue of businessman Fausto Cardoso de Figueiredo (1880-1950) stands in Jardim do Estoril in front of Casino Estoril in the center of Estoril on the Lisbon coast.
Born in rural Baraçal north of Guarda, Fausto Cardoso first trained as a pharmacist in Lisbon before going into business.
He is credited with putting Estoril firmly on the tourist map and turning the once sleepy town into an international resort visited by monarchs (Humberto II of Italy and King Carol II of Romania among them) and other public figures especially during the 1930s and the period of World War II. With France and Paris occupied by the Nazis, Estoril became a new playground for wealthy Parisians and other Europeans in exile.
As president of the Portuguese Railways, Fausto Cardoso oversaw the electrification of the Cascais Line (Linha de Cascais) from Cais do Sodré Station in Lisbon to nearby Cascais in 1926.
This prompted a boom in tourism to the Lisbon coast. Other projects he promoted were the construction of the five-star Palácio Estoril Hotel (whose first guests were the Japanese Emperor Hirohito and his wife) in 1930 and the Casino Estoril, which opened a year later.
Thanks to his visionary support and encouragement, Estoril developed as a resort for the rich and wealthy with golf courses, spas, tennis courts, a theater, luxury hotels and, of course, the casino.
He lies buried in the Prazeres Cemetery in Lisbon.
