Symbols of Portugal can be found in many places in the City of Tomar, not just on buildings or monuments, but even on pathways of commercial enterprises. The photos below are examples of that. The first photo is a five-pointed star, which I believe represents the five corners of the world, where the Portuguese have been centuries ago with their caravels. The symbol in the centre is the coat of arms of Portugal, related to the Battle of Ourique, where the first king of Portugal, Dom Afonso Henriques defeated five moor kings. The second photo is again Portugal’s coat of arms located at the building of São João Baptista parish and the third photo is the symbol of the Knights Templar at the top of Hotel dos Templários.
Five-pointed star with the coat of arms of Portugal in the centre. This is a cobblestone pathway that I found at Rua da Saboaria in Tomar and represents the maritime discoveries of Portugal centuries ago
This coat of arms of Portugal is located on the building of Junta de Freguesia de São João Baptista in Tomar. This building is at the corner of Rua Marquês de Pombal and Rua Major Ferreira do Amaral
This is the symbol of the Knights Templar in Portugal located on top of Hotel do Templários in Tomar
There is a story about an old street lamp, written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. It’s about an old street lamp which performed its duty for a long time in an old street, but is about to be discarded to be replaced by a more modern one. Well that doesn’t seem to happen in the historical areas of Tomar. Yes there are modern street lamps in more modern areas of the city, but not in the medieval part of the town.
This is an old street lamp located at the island of Mouchão in Tomar. This is a beautiful area in and lamps are from those times
Two old street lamps at the garden of Varzea Pequena in the City of Tomar, near Hotel dos Templários
This old street lamp is located close to Santas Iria Inn in Tomar, also known in Portuguese as Estalagem de Santa iria
In Tomar as well as in other cities and towns of Portugal you can find lots of sidewalks and streets, especially pedestrianized streets, paved with cobblestones. In medieval times cobblestones were used in most of the narrow streets of Tomar and today you still see them there. However since this material was gradually replaced by macadam, tarmac and asphalt pavements, in recent times cobblestones pavements became an upmarket alternative. Though many cobblestone streets in Tomar are very old, recently some pavements have been covered with artistic cobblestones.
This cobblestone pavement and design is located near the Old Bridge of Tomar and Bela Vista Restaurant. This is one the those cobblestones pavements built recently as an artistic addition to the city
This is a not too old cobblestone pavement, built near the wooden water wheel at Nabão River in Mouchão Park. I believe it was built to avoid mud gathering around the area
On the other hand this is a really old cobblestone street stairs in the City of Tomar, which is an extension of the street Rua da Cascalheira. This is probably a medieval causeway
The flag and the Coat of Arms of the City of Tomar in Portugal, was published in the Portuguese Government Diary on the 20th of June 1960, as a shield of gold with a tower surrounded by black, open and adorned with silver, with the Cross of the Templars and the Cross of Christ in evidence, and the tower on top of a green mountain crossed by a blue serpentine river. The crown is made of five towers in silver. The streamer is in white with the inscription TOMAR in black. This description can be better checked below on the third photo of this series.
Coat of Arms of Tomar, which I believe to be located at the New Bridge of the City at Avenida Norton de Matos. The crown of this symbol is made of five towers
Photo taken at night of the Coat of Arms of Tomar, and it can be found at the entrance of the Island of Mouchão Park at Rua Marquês de Tomar
This is the flag of Tomar with the Coat of Arms, with the colours black and dark red, found at a shop window. The rest of the description can be read in the main text of this post
When I arrived in Tomar for a six week holidays, a few days later I went to the Shoping Center Modelo at Rua Coronel Garcês Teixeira. When I arrived the first thing that called my attention were the flags furling away on four poles, right in front of the shopping centre. Looking up I could immediately recognize the Portuguese flag, but the flag of the City of Tomar was also there. There was one flag that I didn’t recognize, but the fourth one was from SONAE, a Portuguese conglomerate that operates retail stores in Shopping Centres.
This is the Portuguese flag furling away on a pole at Modelo Shopping Centre, at Rua Coronel Garcês Teixeira in the City of Tomar in Portugal.
Four flags. From left to right: Portuguese flag, flag of the City of Tomar in Portugal, I didn't recognize the third one, but the fourth flag belongs to SONAE, a Portuguese conglomerate which is the largest private employer in Portugal
The same four flags on poles near Modelo Mall in the city of Tomar, but this time with a polaroid special effect over a background of mosaic glass
The current version of the Coat of Arms of Portugal seems to have been adopted in 1911 after the Republican Revolution of 1910, and it is the result of almost a thousand years of alterations and modifications. Anyway these photos of the Portuguese Coat of Arms is located on a bridge crossing Nabão River in Tomar, Portugal, from the parishes of Santa Maria dos Olivais to São João Baptista, at Avenida Norton de Matos. I am not sure about this but it looks like this bridge may have been built in 1967 by the Ministry of Public Constructions, which is in charge of an organization called Junta Autónoma de Estradas (Autonomous Committee of Roads).
Coat of Arms of Portugal on a bridge crossing Nabão River in Tomar, at an avenue called Avenida Norton de Matos
The Portuguese Coat of Arms was built on a wall near the bridge, apparently made of bronze. On top of the symbol of Portugal you can read Ministry of Public Constructions and below it's written Autonomous Committee of Roads 1967
Close up of Coat of Arms of Portugal based on an heraldic design officially adopted in 1911, after the Portuguese Republican Revolution of 1910
This is another section that I find interesting. Sometimes in my wanderings around the City of Tomar in Portugal, I would take photos of little details and close ups here and there. In this case the photos below are from the bandstand at Varzea Pequena, the main entrance to Mouchão Park and the handrails of a wooden bridge that crosses Nabão River, connecting the Island of Mouchão Park to the other side where a soccer field, a kids playground and a sports pavilion are located.
Close up photo of a bandstand at Varzea Pequena in the City of Tomar in Portugal
This is a detail of the main entrance to the Island of Mouchão Park in Tomar
Handrail of a wooden bridge that crosses Nabão River from the Island of Mouchão Park to the other side where the soccer field is located