Mixed
Paysage culturel de Sintra
Photo : Alain Rouiller (CC BY-SA 2.0)
This mixed heritage site encompasses the cultural landscape surrounding the town of Sintra in Portugal, recognized for its exceptional synthesis of natural and human-created elements. The landscape is characterized by a mountainous terrain with lush vegetation, where a series of romantic palaces and quintas (country estates) were constructed from the 18th century onwards, reflecting the aesthetic ideals of successive periods. The site's justification for UNESCO inscription lies in its representation of Romanticism in landscape design and architecture, as well as its outstanding natural setting that inspired European artistic movements. Geographically situated near Lisbon, the Sintra landscape demonstrates how human intervention harmonized with the region's dramatic topography and microclimate to create distinctive aesthetic and cultural values. The palaces, including those at Pena and Queluz, along with numerous gardens and estates, represent significant architectural styles and horticultural traditions. This cultural landscape exemplifies the dialogue between nature and human creativity that characterized 19th-century European thought and practice.
