CugelVance

Germany - 24-Oct-24 -

I visited the Torre do Tomba building on oct.the 9th after having visited the whs palace in Mafra as the buses to and from Mafra start and end in the bus station of Campo Grande which is very near the Lisboa university area. The Torre do Tomba is almost in the middle of that area.

The metro station "Citade Universitaria" is also just a few minutes away from the Torre do Tomba.

I had already been several times to the Belem area of Lisboa so that this time I decided not to visit it again, even though it seems to be part of the tentative serial world  heritage site.

The Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo (shortly and officially until 1823 Torre do Tombo) is the portuguese national archive in Lisbon and is one of the oldest continuously existing institutions in Portugal.

Since at least 1378, the most important documents of the portuguese royal crown were housed in the Torre do Tombo, the main tower of the Castelo de São Jorge. .

The tower was destroyed in the Great Lisbon Earthquake in 1755.  Most of the documents were saved. In 1757 they were transferred to the monastery of São Bento in Porto.

As part of the Liberal Revolution in the 1820s and early 1830s, relations with the Holy See were broken off, the monasteries were dissolved and the monastery archives were confiscated. The documents stored there were transferred to Lisbon, which significantly increased the size of the archive.

Since 1991, the Torre do Tombo has been located in a modern building on the University of Lisbon campus. With an area of ​​55,000 square meters, it has three building parts. One houses the actual archive, a second hosts cultural activities, and a third houses the administration.

One can almost say that it is the physical support of Portugal's memory;it is the treasury of portuguese and brazilian history.

The building itself from the outside is quite.....intimidating....brutalism architecture.
Unfortunately I didn't have much time because I had a meeting. I entered the building, had to show my ID and register. The employee at the entrance was from Moldova but spoke fluent portuguese. We had a short chat in russian. I briefly explained to him why I was interested in this building. The friendly gentleman immediately agreed to get me a place in the library. I declined due to time constraints.

I wandered through the foyer, took some photos, looked at an exhibition about the death penalty, then happened to talk to a senior employee of the institute. He kindly explained to me the importance of this institution for Portugal. I didn't always understand everything 100%, since I only speak Spanish. I understand about 70-75% of spoken Portuguese, but some things were lost. He offered to take me to the Secretary General of the Torre do Tombo.
Absolutely fascinating, but I was running out of time. Too bad! 
An interesting visit!!! I would have liked to have had more time. Without a doubt the archive itself has OUV, but... the building doesn't...and the archive is rather intangible......
The Route of Magellan is a very interesting tentative whs,but I somehow miss some worthy tangible sites.

GabLabCebu

Philippines - 29-Aug-19 -

First of all, I do believe in the OUV of Magellan's Route. I think it's one of the most historically significant itineraries in the world, and definitely the most significant that goes all the way around the world, being the first one. I think there are definitely sites in the world that still show the direct legacy of this voyage. All that said, I don't think this is the way to go.

The truth is that most of the places visited by the Magellan-Elcano (yes, credit Elcano with the first circumnavigation, not Magellan) voyage do not contain much if any remaining concrete evidence or legacy of it. Yes, the sites may be the same, but sites are not to be preserved simply for being part of a route if they don't show any direct legacy of the route. Here's my suggestion: Only the most relevant sites and those with preserved concrete legacy of the voyage should be inscribed (of course excluding the monuments put forward by Portugal, sorry), these being Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Spain, where the circumnavigation started and ended; Puerto San Julián in Argentina, where the crew overwintered and mutinied; the eponymous Strait of Magellan in Chile, the newly discovered passage to the Pacific; and Cebu in the Philippines, where Magellan died and more importantly, a cross and a statue of the child Jesus have been left, preserved, and have made a lasting cultural impact on. The last one, of course being my hometown, is the place I will discuss briefly.

The Basilica of Sto. Niño and the adjoining Magellan's Cross are top pilgrimage and tourism sites in Cebu City. I've brought many a visitor to these special places, and though modest, the legacy of Magellan is greatly apparent. While the existence of the authentic wooden cross encased in the visible one is a bit doubtful, it does accurately mark the spot of the voyage and its effort to convert the natives. The nearby basilica, with its 18th century coral stone structure, still contains the original image of the Sto. Niño that Magellan gifted to Queen Juana back in 1521. If the importance and legacy of just these few sites is looked into together, they tell the story of the circumnavigation well and would make a great historically significant site with its own unique OUV.

Kyle Magnuson

California - United States of America - 02-Sep-18 -

A cultural route that connects Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Chile, Indonesia, Philippines, Portugal, and Spain? This is an ambitious undertaking only comparable to the Silk Road and Qhapaq Ñan world heritage sites.

Based on numerous tangible and intangible elements, its still unclear which sites would make up this world circumnavigating route. One wonders will there actually be large natural marine areas from Africa to South America included as components? 

"A fascinating trail whose waterways, landscapes and geographical landmarks remains intact as they were seen by Magellan and his sailors 500 years ago." - UNESCO description

The picture above is from the Monument to the Discoveries (1960), located adjacent to the Tower of Belem. Will this route's tangible sites be based on commemorative crosses, monuments, and statues that are located in each country included? Or will this route include already inscribed sites? 

In 2022, we'll witness the 500 year anniversary of the completion of this journey, which changed the world. Could this be the year this nomination moves forward? With its complexity and transnational cooperation required, I doubt everything can be submitted by January 2021.

Read more from Kyle Magnuson here.