Designed by the architect Cottinelli Telmo and the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) was conceived as an ephemeral work in 1940 for the Portuguese World Exhibition.

However, it was subsequently rebuilt as a permanent monument for the celebration of the 500 years since the death of Henry the Navigator. It was built in concrete and ‘rosal’ stone masonry from Leiria using the sailing vessel as a symbol, and it displays the statue of Henry the Navigator along with statues of some of the most famous Portuguese navigators of the time on the sides. On the inside, an auditorium and several different rooms are regularly used as venues for temporary exhibitions and events. Standing 56 metres tall in a privileged location by the river, the Padrão serves as a spectacular belvedere where one can take in a glorious view of the mouth of the Tagus, especially at sunset.