Originally built in 1845 to be the headquarters of Lisbon’s largest factory, La Companhia de Fiação e Tecidos Lisbonense (The Lisbon Company of Fabrics), this sprawling mini-village changed ownership several times until it was eventually abandoned. Then in 2008, it was re-invented as LX Factory, Lisbon’s creative island with the mission of being a “factory of experiences, where it becomes possible to intervene, think, produce, present ideas and products in a place that belongs to everyone, for everyone.”
Sprawling beneath the majestic Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge (designed by the same peeps who created the similar looking one in San Francisco), this industrial strip is a pedestrian-only maze of cobble-stoned alleys with a central four-storey building full of low-cost spaces for creative entrepreneurs. When walking through its hallways, you will see young companies in all walks of life: tech, art, marketing, real estate, design, and architecture.
LX Factory is best visited on Sundays when all of the vendors set up stalls on the main street, selling anything and everything including clothing, sweets, jewelry, vintage records, hand made ceramics, wine, cheese, and children’s books. However on other days, there are plenty of boutiques for shopping, cafes for sipping, restaurants for dining, art spaces for googling, interior design shops for drooling, and even a cheesecake pastelaria for diet-cheating. You’ll also find a slew of tattoo parlors, barber shops, and vintage furniture shops.
LX FACTORY
R. Rodrigues de Faria
103, 1300 – 501 Lisboa
Tel (351) 21 314 3399
lxfactory.com
