Jardim do Cabeço das Rolas

Public park on top of the highest point (still a small hill) of Parque das Nações. As such, it has some good views over the city and the river.It used to be a natural topographic feature which sheltered birds in their migratory routes, hence the name (rolas is a turtledove). It became the location of oil storage tanks when the area of Parque das Nações developed as an industrial site.It was turned into a park only by 1998 for the World Exhibition, under project by Landscape Architect Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles (who has proposed Lisbon's green corridor).The park is surrounded by high brick walls, ressembling pre-colombian terrace structures (in the architect's description). These do not open space for human leisure activities (as would be expected of a normal urban park) but instead space for vegetation. The vegetation is exclusively autochthonous (Mediterranean maquis) and traditional plantation species, as existed prior to the industrialization of Parque das Nações.At the top of the hill, the park becomes more recognizable as an urban park, with lawn areas, some benches, shading devices and paths. These are all a bit run down and neglected. At the summit of the park is a square fountain-maze made of brick. It should top the park with a water celebratory abstract event. The fountain is no longer working but the abastractness of its geometric design intriguingly contrasts with the wild and low-design surrounding nature and triggers a quasi-archeological finding moment: what is it doing there? Who made it? With what purpose?Behind it stands a water tank and an abandoned house belonging to the water company and is unaccessible to the public. The park goes beyond and around these structures, but it loses any ressemblance of an urban park: paths dissolving, lawns being replaced by wild spontaneous prairies, vegetation becoming less contained. The park ends in a fence next to the railway.At this point one must ask, is this much lack of design and infrastructuring, contrary to everything else made for the world exhibition, out of design incompetence or what is really happening here?In my view, the design was never intended to maximize human-nature exposure, but to fence off human disturbance (hence the tall walls, the long stairs, the difficult pavement, the lack of equipment) and provide a sanctuary for a vegetation matrix made of local and climate adapted, non irrigated species, reproducing what had covered the fields before the area was developed as an industrial complex. With time, it might even become a migratory birds paradise again, and justify again its name.Nevertheless, something could be done of the few sitting and shaded areas, or the fountain-labyrinth. The empty building could be turned into an interpretative center to educate a public into seeing the park for what it is: a noah arch holding a bygone plantation matrix. Specially now that the construction of closeby buildings will create another, more visible, access to the park, directly from D. João II Avenue which might trigger renewed interest.The park is not very used (expectedly) and is perfect for plant (and hopefully birds) enthusiasts and people wanting to clear their mind.Absolutely unrecomended for wheelchairs (even though some entrances have ramps).Schedule varies throughout the year.Winter: 9h-18hSummer: 9h-20h