Hotel Palácio da Lousã

The Palace of the Salazares or Palácio da Viscondessa do Espinhal was built under command of Bernardo Salazar Sarmento d'Eça e Alarcão at the end of the XVIII century. D. Maria da Piedade de Melo Sampaio Salazar is the famous Viscondessa do Espinhal. The inhabitants of the town remember her as Lousã's great benefactor.King D. Luís granted her, the Viscondessa title in 24 July of 1868. She passed away in 17 December of 1882, concluding the magnificent building that perpetuates her name beforehand.

The Palace is not only the most imposing building of the region and few can be compared to it in the district but it also represents the regional aesthetic revolution of the end of the XVIII century to the beginning of the XIX century. All these characteristics make the Palace's invaluable look.

In 1818, by the time of the neoclassicism, the Palace underwent some renovation work. Its makeup, the pinnacles in an urn shape and the circular shield grant the building with a unique style, distant from the D. João VI style of the time. Sculpted in 1818, a shield with 4 quarters arranges the coat of arms. Above it, a helm and the Arnaut's coat of arms, a passing lion. In the 4 shield quarters we find the Eça's family coat of arms (5 shields joined by the St. Francis rope), the Arnaut's family coat of arms (6 black lions), the Salazar's family coat of arms (13 stars of 8 rays each) and the Sarmento's family coat of arms (13 bysantines). One cannot talk about the Napoleonic Invasions without referring the Palácio da Lousã. "It is known that Marechal Massena, commander of the Napoleonic troops, settled in this manor, at the time belonging to the father of the Viscondessa. On 16 March 1811, Marechal Ney's troops camped at the left bank of the Ceira River were unexpectedly attacked at night by the front of the English-Portuguese army. The French panicked and stampeded through the narrow medieval bridge and river shallows where they were defeated. Meanwhile, Massena, who was preparing for dinner, received word of his army's disaster at the Battle of Foz de Arouce, and fled hastily.

Contact:

Palácio da Lousã - Boutique Hotel Rua Viscondessa do Espinhal 3200-257 Lousã, Coimbra Portugal Main telephone: +351 239 990 800 Main fax: +351 239 990 801 Main email: info@palaciodalousa.com Reservations: reservations@palaciodalousa.com Sub-director: assistantmanager@palaciodalousa.com Director of Operations: dir.op@palaciodalousa.com Sales/Groups Dep.: sales@palaciodalousa.com Weedings and social events: dir.op@palaciodalousa.com