Edifício da antiga Fábrica dos Tecidos de Seda

Edifício da antiga Fábrica dos Tecidos de Seda is the former silk manufactory building in Lisbon, also known as the Real Fábrica das Sedas or the Rato silk factory. It is one of the best surviving reminders of eighteenth-century industry in the Portuguese capital, set in the Rato and Amoreiras area.

What was the Royal Silk Factory?

The manufactory was founded in 1734 under King John V. The royal licence went to a French manufacturer, Roberto Godin, and the enterprise was meant to produce silk and other textiles. At the time, the site lay on a hill in an area called Cotovia, on the edge of the city.

Because of its scale, specialist literature generally regards it as the largest industrial manufactory in Portugal of its day. It turned out silk fabrics woven with gold and silver, velvets, damasks, brocades, satins, taffetas, plush cloth and gold and silver braid.

Who designed the building?

The building was completed in 1741. It is considered the first work in Portugal by Carlos Mardel, an architect who later played a major part in rebuilding the city. It did not suffer serious damage in the 1755 earthquake and was folded into Lisbon's urban renewal plans.

Was it just a factory?

No, it was a whole piece of the city. Workers were treated as small entrepreneurs depending on the manufactory, and their privileges secured them a house, a workshop and their own equipment in the new neighbourhood beside the plant. The complex included a garden planted with mulberry trees to feed the silk spinning, a small chapel and the Chafariz do Rato fountain.

Why visit?

• It shows what a large Enlightenment-era manufactory looked like in Portugal.
• It lets you compare industrial architecture with the rebuilding of Lisbon after 1755.
• The Jardim das Amoreiras is nearby, and its name recalls the mulberries grown for silk.
• Rato is well connected and easy to combine with a walk through central Lisbon.

Frequently asked questions

When was the factory founded? The manufactory dates from 1734, and the building was completed in 1741.

Who was behind it? The licence went to the Frenchman Roberto Godin, and the building was designed by Carlos Mardel.

Did the 1755 earthquake destroy it? It escaped serious damage and was included in the city's renewal plans.

What was made here? Mainly silk fabrics, including velvets, damasks, brocades and satins, as well as gold and silver braid.

Where is it? In Lisbon's Rato district, on one of the city's hills.

Check current access rules before you go, as the building may only be viewable from outside.