Nazaré Funicular

The Nazaré Funicular is a funicular situated in the civil parish of Nazaré, municipality of Nazaré, in the Portuguese district of Leiria.HistoryFrom the description of Father Manuel de Brito Alão, the descent from Sítio to Ribeira da Pederneira was accomplished by a steep incline, of loose sand. Much of the nobility that visited the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré followed this road, seated on "carpets, that were pulled at the corners, along with their servants, safe and composed". This form of transport was used up to the 19th century. On 15 October 1888, a partnership was developed by Tavares Crespo, Francisco Morais, Joaquim Carneiro D’Alcáçovas de Sousa Chicharro, José Eduardo Ferreira Pinheiro, Barão de Kessler and engineer Raul Mesnier de Ponsard to construct a funicular in Nazaré, with the entity seated in Lisbon. On 28 July 1889, the line was blessed and inaugurated as the funicular of Nossa Senhora da Nazaré, in honour of the Virgin Mary, protector of the town. At the event was the Ministro das Obras Públicas (Minister of Public Works) and the Ministro da Fazenda (Minister of Finances) and Dr. António Lúcio Tavares Crespo, then owner of the line.Initially, the funicular was moved by a steam-powered machine situated in the area of Sítio, where the promontory overlooking the village led onto a 50m tunnel and ramp. The boiler was heated by wood, and since there were no fountains in Sítio, the water for the tank was transported from Praia by two cars.The funicular line, with an extension of 318m and 42% slope, follows a channel between the promontory and beach, terminating at the Largo das Caldeiras. The lower terminal is protected by two lateral walls to prevent the invasion of sand. The mechanism, similar to the one used in the funicular of Lavra, came from Germany from the factory of Maschinenfabrik Esslingen. The cars used a red livery and transported 60 passengers, but only during the summer beach season, with trips operating between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.