Parques de Sintra - Monte da Lua S.A.

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Portugal - Sintra

Institution Code:

BGCI Member: No

The Parques de Sintra comprise Pena (seen here), Monserrate, the Moorish Castle, the Cork Convent and several other historic and natural sites, all within the Sintra Cultural Landscape recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage.
The Parques de Sintra comprise Pena (seen here), Monserrate, the Moorish Castle, the Cork Convent and several other historic and natural sites, all within the Sintra Cultural Landscape recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage.

About the Parques de Sintra - Monte da Lua S.A.

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The Parques de Sintra (PSML) are made up of the palace and park of Pena, gardens and palace of Monserrate, the Moorish castle, the Capuchos Convent (also known as the Cork Convent) and several other historic and natural sites. PSML is a company of exclusively public equity, established in 2000 following recognition by UNESCO of Sintra's Cultural Landscape as a World Heritage site and is responsible for the restoration, maintenance and management of these properties.


The gardens of Monserrate were built in 1790 by Gerard De Visme, an English merchant who had made his fortune in trade with Brazil. A correspondent of Sir Joseph Banks he co-funded plant hunting expeditions to Brazil and other exotic locations to provide plants for his gardens. Monserrate was briefly the home of William Beckford and Byron visited and described the house and garden exactly 200 years ago (Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage). The botanical gardens were founded in the 1850’s by Sir Francis Cook, Bt., and developed over four generations (1856-1947). Plant collections include a number of magnificent tree specimens, some of which are probably among the largest of their kind in cultivation: Araucaria heterophylla, Araucaria bidwillii, Metrosideros excelsa, Apollonias barbujana, Agathis robusta. The garden contains fine palms and tree ferns and some cycads including an enormous Lepidozamia peroffskyana. Garden restoration work is currently underway; in 2009 the succulent plant collections known historically as “Mexico” were reconstructed, in the coming year it is planned to reinstate the ornamental ponds, rose garden and tree fern valley.

The park of Pena is a vast area (85 ha.) spread over the highest points of the Serra de Sintra. Originally a convent (founded in 1503), it was transformed by King Ferdinand II, consort of the Queen Maria II and a cousin of Queen Victoria’s consort Prince Albert. From 1840 onwards he began to build the fantastic revivalist castle and the surrounding forests and gardens. The gardened areas contain important collections of Camellias, Tree Ferns, Conifers and areas of natural vegetation whilst the arboretum contains impressive individual specimens of Cryptomeria japonica, Sequoia sempervirens, Thuya plicata and various species of Abies. From 1910 the park was administered by the Portuguese national forest service and there are extensive trial plantings of forest species. Currently undergoing extensive restoration work is a section of the park known as the “Chalet da Condessa.” Here the gardens are of a gardenesque character and contain a tremendous population of tree ferns, camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons.

Main Address:
Parques de Sintra - Monte da Lua S.A.
Parque de Monserrate
Sintra
2710-405 Portugal

Telephone: (+351) 219 237 300
Fax:
URL: http://www.parquesdesintra.pt
Primary Email: info@parquesdesintra.pt

Staff Details

  • Director's Name: Claudia Almeida
    Curator's Name:
    Plant Records Officer's Name: Elsa Isidro
  • Total Staff:
    Horticultural Staff Number: 47
    Educational Staff Number:
    Research Staff Number:
    Administration Staff Number:

About the Garden

  • Institution Type: Botanic Garden
  • Status
  • Status: Private: No
    Status: State: Yes
    Status: Educational: No
    Status: Municipal: No
    Status: Satellite: No
    Status: Trust: No
  • Date founded: 2000
  • Physical Data
  • Natural Vegetation Area: Yes
  • Landscaped Area: Yes
  • Total Area: 410 Hectares
    Latitude: 38.79
    Longitude: -9.42
    Annual Rainfall: 800 mm
    Altitude: 143.00 Metres
  • Additional Locations
  • Satellite Garden Names: Parque e Palácio da Pena Parque e Palácio de Monserrate Castelo dos Mouros Convento dos Capuchos Vila Sassetti Palácio Nacional de Sintra Palácio Nacional de Queluz e Jardins
  • Locality: Information
  • Locality: Garden Name: PARQUES DE SINTRA - MONTE DA LUA
  • Local Address: Parque de Monserrate 2710-405 Sintra, Portugal Tel: 21 923 73 00 Fax: 21 923 73 50 E-mail: info@parquesdesintra.pt PALÁCIO NACIONAL DA PENA 2710-001 Sintra, Portugal Tel: (+351) 219 237 300
  • Locality: City: Sintra
  • Locality: State:

Features and Facilities

  • Herbarium: No
    Arboretum: Yes
    Arboretum Size: 85
  • Micropropagation/ Tissue Culture Facilities: No
    Seed Bank: No
    Published Plant Catalogue: No
    Computer Plant Record System: Yes
  • Open to public: Yes
    Friends society: Yes
    Retail Outlet: Shop: Yes
    Disabled access: Yes
  • Number of Visitors: 2500000

Plant Collections

  • Accession Number: 18093
    Cultivation Taxa Num: 219
  • Special Collections:Plant records (GIS) are in place for tree specimens, other plants are currently under survey.

    Monserrate 18,093 acessions 219 taxa
    Pena 32,539 accessions , nº of taxa under review
  • Invasive Species Monitoring: Yes
    Invasive Species Policy: Yes

Conservation Programmes

  • Conservation Programme: Yes
    Medicinal Plant Programme: No
    Ex Situ Conservation Programme: No
    Reintroduction Programme: Yes

Research Programmes

  • Biotechnology: No
    Plant Breeding: No
    Conservation - Biology: No
    Conservation - Genetics: No
    Data Management Systems and Information Technology: Yes
    Ecology: Yes
    Ecosystem Conservation: Yes
    Education: Yes
    Ethnobotany: No
    Exploration: No
    Floristics: No
    Horticulture: Yes
    Invasive Species Biology and Control: Yes
    Molecular Genetics: No
    Pollination Biology: No
    Restoration Ecology: Yes
    Seed/Spore Biology: No
    Systematics and Taxonomy: No
    Sustainability: Yes
    Pharmacology: No
    Agriculture: Yes
    Land Restoration: Yes
    Urban Environments: No

Education Programmes

  • Visitor/Education Centre: Yes
    Education Signs in Garden: Yes
    Public Lectures/Talks: Yes
    Education Booklets/Leaflets: Yes
    Guided Tours: Yes
    Permanent Public Displays: Yes
    Special Exhibitions: Yes
    Courses for School Children: No
    Courses for University/College Students: No
    Courses for General Public: Yes
    Education Programme: Yes