Sintra the Glorious Eden - English

SINTRA THE GLORIOUS EDEN - (Preamble) *


The secular region of Sintra bears many traces of prehistoric, Roman and Muslim occupation. The town itself was given a royal charter, in 1154, by Afonso Henriques and has remained, during the course of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Romantic Era, up to present day times as a place in which Nature and Man are intertwined in a symbiosis combining to make this a truly unique location in worldwide terms.

Its natural beauty, water, fertile agricultural land, coastal regions, quarries, Serra (mountain range) and diversified native flora explain the reason for the various settlements built by its inhabitants who, over the course of time, took advantage of the regions natural resources, planting exotic species resulting in a municipal district with a very special built and natural heritage.

Ranging from the buffer zone of Peninha which should, indisputably, be preserved in its entirety, to the coastline which should be carefully exploited, without an inappropriately high population density, to urban areas which, although overpopulated, including native saloio settlements and fertile land, also possess heritage values to be rehabilitated, the Sintra region, as a whole comprises synergies whose development should be both integrated and harmonious from an economic and tourist viewpoint.

The conservation of Sintras natural and built heritage are not conducive to structural modifications which would erase all of its identity and cause Sintras disappearance as a prime tourist and cultural venue.

In light of the concerns expressed by many Portuguese and foreign citizens, regarding the conservation and rehabilitation of Sintras heritage, over the course of the last decades, we have decided to give voice, not only to all who are interested in emphasising Sintra as a unique location but also to awaken this perception in those who have not realised the extent of the cultural values in question.

* Stanza XVIII of Lord Byrons poem Childe Harolds Pilgrimage in which Sintra is compared to Paradise.

Text accompanying the signatures on the petition to be sent to several entities.


SINTRA THE GLORIOUS EDEN - (Petition)


Classified as World Heritage - Cultural Landscape, on 06 December 1995, at the 19th Session of the Unesco World Heritage Committee Meeting, held in Berlin, Sintra is still one of the few relatively unspoilt paradises.

Pena, encompassing its Palace and Botanical Gardens, extol the virtues of Harmony and Love. There is also Monserrate, with its Palace and diversified flora; the ancient National Palace; a castle of Moorish origin; Regaleiras ambience of mystery; Capuchos or the Cork Convent and its air of mysticism, woods and parkland, mansions, churches and chapels, houses, stones, moss and hidden retreats, varied fauna, bathed in bright sunlight, magical mists or poetic moonlight.

The Historical Centre, a valley of glistening green sloping landscapes, under the shade of centuries old trees, fruit trees planted on the hillside in the midst of exotic, native flora point to the presence of surface or underground water, flanked, in various areas, by springs and fountains.

The Municipal Park, which winds its way up the hillside, is a delight for Sintras local inhabitants and tourists alike.

Further along within the town itself are country estates, valleys and belvederes, with dazzlingly unique views.

With balanced ecosystems, Sintra, as a unique worldwide location, requires the help of all of us to remain so and deserves only the best with a view to preserving its natural and built heritage and alma mater which help to make it so different and enhance its attractiveness.

If you share our opinion and love Sintra and are concerned with its conservation, please sign this text.