Santa Justa Lift
Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard · Lisbon, Portugal · 1902
The Santa Justa Lift turns a practical change in street level into a prominent piece of urban infrastructure. Designed by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard and opened in 1902, its iron tower connects Lisbon's lower Baixa streets with the Carmo area above. Decorative metalwork gives the engineering structure a Gothic-inflected character, while the elevated link explains the difference between the two urban levels. The lift is especially useful for understanding Lisbon in section. Compare the tower from the lower street with the upper approach, where its role as a connection becomes clearer than its image as an isolated landmark. Visiting: Lift rides are charged as transport. Access to surrounding upper streets does not require using the lift.