BUALA

Penha de França, Bairro das Novas Nações, Olivais: Colonial toponyms in Lisbon

In Lisbon, we can identify around 250 streets that, in one way or another, have colonial associations. The names given to these streets not only reflect the city’s changes but also constitute a linguistic, cultural, and political legacy of European expansion and, in particular, of Portuguese colonialism. This connection between Lisbon’s toponymy and the legitimization of the state, whose aim was to materialize and root a certain historical memory in the population (by celebrating it), is in many ways linked to the evolution of the country’s political events.

City

11.06.2026 | by João Pedro George