O jardim da Gulbenkian

This panorama shows a partial view of the garden of the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation) headquarters.

This garden is pretty much an oasis, in a city where green zones are becoming fewer and farther between. It is used daily by many people, from students to lovers to grandparents strolling and playing with their grandchildren. Although privately owned, many feel it belongs to the city, and would hate to see it disappear. Fortunately, there is little danger of that – in fact, it is undergoing extensive renovations, which made choosing a suitable place for this panorama more difficult. Using a tripod requires permission (which I didn’t request in advance, since I had used one there before, unhindered), so I had to shoot handheld (lame excuse for the obvious stitching errors). In addition to the garden proper, you can see the beautiful Modern Art Center, and get a glimpse of the main building, across the pond.

The Gulbenkian Foundation, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, was also an oasis (garden!) of culture in a country under a backwards dictatorial regime, bent on ruling over an uneducated people (in 1974, when that regime was overthrown, a staggering 33% of the population couldn’t read or write). The Gulbenkian had its own orchestra and choir, dance company, museum, art library, as well as a science center on a separate campus. At the same time, it supported many to obtain their education, through grants covering everything from elementary school to doctorates. While culturally less prominent now, as Portugal has developed into an european country, it still has considerable weight. I humbly dedicate this pano to the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.

(The fine print: it should not be implied that the Gulbenkian Foundation in any way supports or endorses any of the above.)

More panos taken the same day at http://correio.fc.ul.pt/~pjns/Photos/Panoramas/wwp606/index.html

Europe / Portugal

Lat: 38° 44' 10.77" N
Long: 10° 10' 12.64" W

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: High. Pinpoints the exact spot.