Right in the heart of Leiria, Praça Rodrigues Lobo is the city’s greeting card, a place of leisure and entertainment thanks to the many outdoor cafés available. The Portuguese pavement, the many cultural events and the view of Leiria’s Castle are some of the reasons that make this place so attractive.

In medieval times, this was the Praça de S. Martinho (St. Martin’s Plaza), the place where the Igreja de S. Martinho (St. Martin’s Church) stood in 1211. In front of this church, by the early 15^th century, one could find the City Hall House, the Jail, the Pillory and the Notary Chamber. The current building of Ateneu de Leiria was the former 18th-century palace of the Oriol Pena family, whose coat of arms is still visible in the façade facing Rua Vasco da Gama. In the 19^th century, it was in this building that the Assembleia Leiriense was located. Eça de Queirós was one of the members and he used to read his newspapers there. In his novel “The Sin of Father Amaro”, it was in this plaza that all the city’s important people used to meet. The bank Raposo de Magalhães, where José Maria Gomes worked, also known as Tomé, a friend of Miguel Torga was also located in this plaza.

Location
Praça Rodrigues Lobo, 2400-217 Leiria
GPS: 39.744530, -8.807905
How to get there: http://bit.ly/1WQstrk