The Triumphal Arch (Arco do Triunfo) on Augusta Street (Rua Augusta) is the architectural landmark of the modern capital of Portugal and a true symbol of ancient Lisbon's revival, destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. It is the first thing that tourists see as soon as they arrive in the city by the sea. However, this legendary architectural monument, designed by the famous Portuguese architect Jose Verissimo da Costa, was intended not only to serve as the main city gate but also to be a kind of pompous framing of the equestrian statue of King Joseph I of Portugal, located in the heart of the picturesque Commerce Square (Praça do Comércio). Thus, the solemn entrance to the city on the main royal Augusta Street, the Triumphal Arch, and Commerce Square with the monument to King Joseph I formed the unique architectural ensemble of a new city of Lisbon, reborn from the ruins to become even more majestic.

According to local legend, the Triumphal Arch was intended not only for the aesthetic pleasure of tourists but also for the protection of Lisbonians from various cataclysms that had hit them several times. It took more than a hundred years to create the main city gate that caught citizens' fancy with its splendor. The inauguration of the Arch had been postponed due to the endless Napoleonic wars, the departure of the royal court to Brazil, and the accession of a new ruler until the project of the Triumphal Arch attracted the attention of Queen Maria II. She decided that such an important monument for the whole country deserves to be completed. So the Arch was built and has remained unchanged since its quite modest and quiet opening in 1873.

It is a majestic architectural monument of the 18th-19th centuries with a height of more than 30 meters. Its luxurious Baroque facades are decorated with sculptural compositions by several skilled craftsmen. The French sculptor Anatole Calmels created the upper group of allegories of Valor, Glory and Genius. And the French sculptor Anatole Calmels made the lower one, comprising the allegories of the Tagus and Douro rivers, the figures of the brave heroes Viriatus and Nuno Alvares Pereira, as well as the legendary navigator Vasco da Gama, who personifies the entire the Age of Exploration.