Parque das Nações

There are references to Roman routes passing near the River Trancão. For centuries, this territory combined estates, country houses, rural land and military facilities; Pedro II ordered the acquisition of Quinta de Beirolas for the defence of Lisbon and the storage of gunpowder. In the 20th century, the eastern waterfront became heavily industrial, port-related and logistical, with a gasworks, slaughterhouse, war materiel facilities, refinery, oil depots, a treatment plant and a landfill. Doca dos Olivais was associated with the use of seaplanes. Before Expo ’98, environmental degradation and limited public access to the river defined the area. The urban operation associated with the exhibition rehabilitated around 340 hectares and roughly five kilometres of waterfront, including soil decontamination, the sealing of Aterro de Beirolas and the clean-up of the River Trancão. Under the theme “The Oceans: A Heritage for the Future”, Expo ’98 ran for 132 days, from 22 May to 30 September 1998. Some structures were temporary, while several buildings were designed or adapted to continue in use: Pavilhão dos Oceanos became Oceanário de Lisboa, Pavilhão do Conhecimento dos Mares became Pavilhão do Conhecimento, and Pavilhão da Utopia was adapted into a large performance and events venue. The present parish, newer than both the neighbourhood and the urban operation, was created in 2012. Today, a run along Alameda dos Oceanos or Passeio do Tejo traces a waterfront where homes, public facilities, gardens and industrial memory sit side by side.

Expo ’98’s theme, “The Oceans: A Heritage for the Future”, also found its way onto the street signs. Between Avenida do Índico, Avenida do Mar Vermelho, Rua do Zambeze, Rua do Ganges, Jardim das Tágides and Jardim Garcia de Orta, a short run can feel like a geographical journey. No passport required — and, ideally, no wet trainers either.

Gare do Oriente · Pavilhão de Portugal and Praça do Cerimonial · Oceanário de Lisboa and Doca dos Olivais · Pavilhão do Conhecimento · Marina do Parque das Nações · Alameda dos Oceanos · Jardim das Tágides · Passeio do Tejo · Parque do Tejo and the River Trancão · Ponte Vasco da Gama

Follow the signs for Avenida do Índico, Avenida do Mar Vermelho, Rua do Zambeze and Rua do Ganges to read Expo ’98’s maritime legacy in the street names. · Pass beneath the suspended canopy of Pavilhão de Portugal and notice the relationship between the building and Praça do Cerimonial. · Look at Oceanário de Lisboa above Doca dos Olivais, which was once associated with seaplanes. · Near Marina do Parque das Nações, note the transformation of a former oil-unloading area. · Continue along Passeio do Tejo towards Parque do Tejo and the River Trancão, where environmental recovery is also part of the landscape. · Compare the Expo ’98 buildings that remained with the gardens and public spaces created through the same urban operation.