The Belem District is 3 miles from downtown Lisbon. Belem was the starting point for voyages during the Age of Discovery.
Belem Tower was built between 1515-1520 to protect Lisbon's harbor. This tower was the last site that sailors saw as they left Lisbon. When the tower was built, it stood in the middle of the river. The river nearly touched the walls of the Monastery of Jeronimos.
This marble map lies in the pavement in front of the Monument to the Discoveries. It was a gift from South Africa.
Padrao dos Descobrimentos, "The Monument to the Discoveries" was rebuilt in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of Prince Henry the Navigator. The monument was originally constructed for the 1940 Expo.
The monument shows the explorers of the world, standing on a raised prow of a caravel on the shore of the Tejo River. Prince Henry the Navigator is holding a model of a caravel and a map.
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