It is located on Rua do Ouro, municipality and district of Lisbon, central Portugal
The Santa Justa Elevator, also referred to as the Carmo Elevator, is one of the most interesting monuments in downtown Lisbon (a 1-minute walk from the Carmo Convent).
The Santa Justa Elevator is a public transport system, located in the city center, connecting Rua do Ouro and Rua do Carmo to Largo do Carmo, thus uniting the upper and lower areas of the city.
The Santa Justa Elevator is made up of a metal tower where two cabins circulate and a walkway that connects the upper floor to the Carmo area. The elevator structure is made of cast iron and uses a scheme inspired by the neo-Gothic style.
The Santa Justa Elevator was built under the management of the distinguished engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, known for having carried out other projects of the same type across the country.
This elevator was planned since the 1890s, but the project was only approved by Lisbon City Council in 1905, the year in which work began.
In construction, one of the most impressive phases was the movement of the viaduct and the support pillar to their respective positions, a maneuver that was carried out by rotating the entire components, and the elevator was inaugurated in 1902.
The ticket office is located behind the tower under the steps of Rua do Carmo, passengers can go up or down in the elevator inside two elegant wooden cabins with brass fittings.
The Santa Justa Elevator is made up of a metal tower, and a 25 m long metal walkway, the difference between the elevator levels is 45 m.
The Santa Justa Elevator, built using cast iron, is decorated with filigree lacework in a neo-Gothic inspired style. The top of the tower, accessed by a narrow spiral staircase, offers splendid views over Rossio, downtown Lisbon, São Jorge Castle on the opposite hill, the Tagus River and the ruins of the Carmo Convent Church.
The cabins were powered by two machines, each with two cylinders using Stephenson's quadrant to reverse gear, each could work independently of the other, or together if extraordinary force was required, thus the handles of both were installed side by side in one place so that the driver could work with both at the same time.
The transmission of the machine's movement, to the winch shaft where the cabins' movement chains pass, was done by Galle belts, whose wheels reduced the speed of the machine to that of the winch, in the proportion that was necessary for the normal speed of the cabins to be 0.5 m per second.
The Galle chain system had the advantage of producing a silent and smooth movement, unlike what would happen if spur gears had been used for reduction.
It is currently one of the most visited structures in the city, not only by Portuguese people but mainly by foreign tourists looking to discover past environments (wood and brass), mechanical transport processes, and the superb views from the top floor over the city of Lisbon.
The Santa Justa Elevator is a public transport system, located in the city center, connecting Rua do Ouro and Rua do Carmo to Largo do Carmo, thus uniting the upper and lower areas of the city.
The Santa Justa Elevator is made up of a metal tower where two cabins circulate and a walkway that connects the upper floor to the Carmo area. The elevator structure is made of cast iron and uses a scheme inspired by the neo-Gothic style.
The Santa Justa Elevator was built under the management of the distinguished engineer Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, known for having carried out other projects of the same type across the country.
This elevator was planned since the 1890s, but the project was only approved by Lisbon City Council in 1905, the year in which work began.
In construction, one of the most impressive phases was the movement of the viaduct and the support pillar to their respective positions, a maneuver that was carried out by rotating the entire components, and the elevator was inaugurated in 1902.
The ticket office is located behind the tower under the steps of Rua do Carmo, passengers can go up or down in the elevator inside two elegant wooden cabins with brass fittings.
The Santa Justa Elevator is made up of a metal tower, and a 25 m long metal walkway, the difference between the elevator levels is 45 m.
The Santa Justa Elevator, built using cast iron, is decorated with filigree lacework in a neo-Gothic inspired style. The top of the tower, accessed by a narrow spiral staircase, offers splendid views over Rossio, downtown Lisbon, São Jorge Castle on the opposite hill, the Tagus River and the ruins of the Carmo Convent Church.
The cabins were powered by two machines, each with two cylinders using Stephenson's quadrant to reverse gear, each could work independently of the other, or together if extraordinary force was required, thus the handles of both were installed side by side in one place so that the driver could work with both at the same time.
The transmission of the machine's movement, to the winch shaft where the cabins' movement chains pass, was done by Galle belts, whose wheels reduced the speed of the machine to that of the winch, in the proportion that was necessary for the normal speed of the cabins to be 0.5 m per second.
The Galle chain system had the advantage of producing a silent and smooth movement, unlike what would happen if spur gears had been used for reduction.
It is currently one of the most visited structures in the city, not only by Portuguese people but mainly by foreign tourists looking to discover past environments (wood and brass), mechanical transport processes, and the superb views from the top floor over the city of Lisbon.
