Ajuda is a parish of Lisbon, on the hill above Belém, between Belém and the Monsanto forest park. The parish has (14 306 inhabitants · 3 km²). After the earthquake of 1755 destroyed the Paço da Ribeira, the royal family and the court moved to Ajuda, first into wooden buildings known as the Real Barraca, and the population of the area grew from about 1,000 to about 4,700.
Monuments
Palácio Nacional da Ajuda. The Real Barraca burned down in 1794. Work on the present palace began in 1795 to a design by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, and in 1802 the architects Francisco Xavier Fabri and José da Costa e Silva redesigned it in neoclassical style. The palace was never finished to its original plan. It became the official royal residence only when King Luís came to the throne in 1861, and it closed with the Republic in 1910. It is now a museum whose rooms keep their 19th-century arrangement and decoration, and the new west wing houses the Museu do Tesouro Real, with the Portuguese Crown Jewels. Portuguese governments have been sworn in at the palace since 1978.
Nature
Jardim Botânico da Ajuda. The botanical garden opposite the palace was laid out in 1768 by the Italian botanist Domingos Vandelli, and by the end of the 18th century held about 5,000 plant species. It is laid out on two terraces with views over the Tagus, and includes a garden of aromatic plants.
Leisure
The Escola Portuguesa de Arte Equestre, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, is based in Ajuda.
