Dominating the center of Marquês de Pombal Square is a statue of the marquês himself, the man responsible for the design of the "new" Lisbon that emerged from the ruins of the 1755 earthquake. On the statue's base are representations of both the earthquake and the tidal wave that engulfed the city; a female figure with outstretched arms signifies the joy at the emergence of the refashioned city. The square is effectively a large roundabout—known informally as the Rotunda—and a useful orientation point, since it stands at the northern end of Avenida da Liberdade (in the Baixa district) with Parque Eduardo VII (in the São Sebastião quarter) just behind. New buildings with classic facades are rising along the square's rim, and there are impressive entrances to the Marquês de Pombal metro station.
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