Raul Mesnier du Ponsard (1848 - 1914)
Raul Mesnier du Ponsard, born 1848 in São Nicolau, Porto, was a Portuguese engineer, of French origin, known for having built many lifts and funiculars in Portugal. He died 1914 in Inhambane, Mozambique. Raul Mesnier studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Coimbra and in Mechanical Engineering in France. He traveled through Switzerland and Germany where he attended workshops and got in touch with designers and manufacturers of railway equipment. It is not known whether he was an apprentice of Gustave Eiffel or just his source of inspiration. As an engineer he was a designer of systems for elevators and public transport.
Important Works:
- Elevator of Bom Jesus, Braga
- Funicular of Guindais, Porto
- Elevator of Santa Justa, Lisbon
- Elevator of Nazareth, Nazareth
