One Of The Great Love Stories of Portuguese History

After Ferdinand II lost his first wife, Queen Maria II, Elise Friederike Hensler, an opera singer and ardent supporter of the arts and literature, captured his heart. Along with Ferdinand, Hensler—who was later given the title of Countess of Edla—built an alpine-style chalet in the western reaches of the Park of Pena to serve as a getaway for the couple’s romance and leisure.

Monument

One of the most recognized landmarks

Location

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The Garden & Chalet Countess of Edla

The unique relationship between Fernando and Elise, is considered to be one of the great love stories of Portuguese history.

It caused considerable scandal due to their will to marry each other, although she was a commoner who had, moreover, a young daughter with an unknown father. The couple finally managed to marry in 1869 when Fernando persuaded his cousin, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to create a title for Elise, enabling her to become Countess of Edla.

The Chalet now looks just as it did back then, at the time it was built. It is a brick construction covered in plaster and painted to resemble beautiful wooden planks. The windows, balconies, handrails, are decorated with cork. Inside, the restoration team went to considerable lengths, with very little information to go on, to identify the use of the various rooms and to reconstitute the decorative elements painted on the walls.

Visitors can explore the beautiful nooks and other charming elements in the garden that surrounds this.