Casa Sommer is a building in

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Portugal, tourist de ...

, on the

Portuguese Riviera The Portuguese Riviera (Portuguese: '' Riviera Portuguesa'') is a term used in the tourist industry for the affluent coastal region to the west of Lisbon, Portugal, centered on the coastal municipalities of Cascais (including Estoril), Oeiras ...

, which houses the Cascais Municipal Historical Archive and a branch of the Cascais Municipal Library, hosting collections pertaining to the town's archaeological, architectural, historical and cultural heritage. Built as the residence of entrepreneur

Henrique de Sommer Henrique de Araújo de Sommer (Lisbon, 29 January 1886 — Cascais, 28 March 1944) was one of Portugal's most important industrialists. He was a member of a German aristocratic family living in Portugal, since his grandfather Heinrich Baron v ...

, Casa Sommer is a noted example of

Summer architecture Summer architecture ('' pt, arquitetura de veraneio'') was a Portuguese architectural movement originating in the Portuguese Riviera, in late 19th and early 20th century, when the region became a popular resort destination for the Portuguese Roy ...

History

The house was constructed at the end of the 19th century. It is considered the most important example of a neoclassical private residence in Cascais. The exterior features smooth and curved

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

s, fluted

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s, and

triglyph Triglyph is an architectural term for the vertically channeled tablets of the Doric frieze in classical architecture, so called because of the angular channels in them. The rectangular recessed spaces between the triglyphs on a Doric frieze are ...

s. The main façade features a rectangular

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, which frames the entrance and creates the

balcony A balcony (from it, balcone, "scaffold") is a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade, usually above the ground floor. Types The traditional Maltese balcony is ...

on the second floor, which is protected by a

balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...

. After it ceased to be a family home the house was for a time used as a language school and then a children's home, before falling into disrepair for a time. It was then restored by the Municipality of Cascais and officially opened on 7 December 2016. The work, led by the architect Paula Santos, which also included the building's old coach house, succeeded in adding considerable internal floor space. It included construction of a new underground corridor linking the main building to the coach house, which now houses the Municipal Historical Archive.

Collection

On display is the restored ''

Foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician ''foro'', Ca ...

'' of Cascais, which was a royal document signed by

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, a ...

whose purpose was to establish a town or village Council and regulate its administration, borders and privileges. A community would need a ''Foral'' in order to function as a town. The second oldest book is the ''Livro de Posturas'' (Book of Regulations), which recorded the town's rules and regulations.

References

External links

*{{Commons-inline, Cascais Buildings and structures in Cascais Art museums and galleries in Portugal Museums in Lisbon District Summer architecture