Porto City in Portugal: attractions (photos)

City of football and port, a city where you can visit noisy bars and beautiful arched bridges, the city that gave the name to the state .... Porto is beautiful and unusual. It has a long history and has preserved many monuments that tell about it.

Description

The largest city of Porto in Portugal is the second. It is the center of the same municipality and district. Porto is located on the banks of the Douro River, 270 km from Lisbon.

The city is inhabited by 240 thousand people. Porto and its surrounding suburbs are the large urban agglomeration of Big Porto.

From the history of the city

Long before the Roman era there was a settlement on these lands. The Romans built a city here and named it Portus Cale. For the first time it is mentioned in the annals, belonging to the V century. Later the name changed. It began to be called Portucale.

Until the 8th century these lands were owned by the Moors. In 982, Portucale became a Christian settlement, ruled by Henry of Burgundy.

The city of Porto dates back to 1123. Its economic prosperity began in 1237. By the XV century it became the main center of shipbuilding in the country.

The people of Porto always differed in their rebellious character and freedom of love. In 1209, its inhabitants opposed huge taxes and kept the episcopal residence under siege for five months. In this city, the Inquisition did not take root - it existed with great difficulty for four years.

Women Porto in 1628 rebelled against the tax on woolen goods and underwear. In 1757, the inhabitants of the city of Porto (Portugal) protested against the monopoly on the production of wine, which was introduced by the Marquis de Pombal. Here the Reconquista was born, it was in Porto that the sea expansion of the country began.

In addition, the city of Porto is the largest winemaking center since the time of ancient Lusitania, in which the production of Portuguese wine and the national symbol of port wine began.

Porto Alegre

Do not confuse this city with the Brazilian Porto Alegre, which is the capital of the state of Rio Grande do Sul.

It is the cultural, educational and political center of the country. The city of Porto Alegre is distinguished by the highest standard of living among the capitals of the states of Brazil.

It lies at the confluence of the Guaiba River in the freshwater Lagoon of Patus, at the junction of the natural regions of the Atlantic Forest and Pampa. It is one of the southernmost capitals of the Brazilian states.

Porto today

A large industrial center, a lively port on the Atlantic coast. This is the city of Porto (Portugal), which you can often see on the pages of tourist catalogs.

It has a compact historical center. All the sights in it are within walking distance. They attract thousands of tourists every year. Today we can not tell you about all the interesting places that you can visit in Porto, but we will definitely introduce you to some of them.

sights

The city is divided into 15 districts. The greatest interest of tourists is the ancient quarter of Ribeira, with narrow streets and colorful and original facades of low houses. In 1996, this quarter is under the protection of UNESCO.

Cleric Tower

The city of Porto, whose photo you see in our article, has a 76-meter Torre-dos-Clerigush tower on its territory. It is the symbol of the city and the highest tower in the country.

In fact, it is the bell tower of the Catholic Church of Klerigush. It is visible from anywhere in the city. For a long time it was a guide for seafarers.

The church is built in the Baroque style. Its interior is decorated with marble and artfully decorated with carvings. The construction of the bell tower, which is located on the western side of the church, dates back to 1763. It is also made in the Baroque style.

On the sixth floor of the bell tower there is an observation deck. You can climb here by overcoming 225 steps on a very narrow spiral staircase. Since 1910 it is a national monument.

Luis I Bridge

There are many interesting places to visit when visiting Porto. Many know that it has many bridges. However, the most famous of them is undoubtedly the bridge of Luis I.

It is located on the river Duero and connects Porto with the city of Vilanova de Guy. The site is under the protection of UNESCO.

The bridge spans are installed on a steel arch structure, the length of which is 172 meters. In addition, there are 5 bridge pylons. In this unique structure, two span structures of steel are created - the upper one, which is located at an altitude of 62 meters, a length of 174 meters, and the lower one (172 meters) at a height of 10 meters.

The author of the project of this bridge is the engineer Teofilo Seyrig, who was a disciple of the great Gustav Eiffel. It required 3000 tons of steel for its construction. The bridge was commissioned in late October 1886.

Today, on the upper span, the metro line passes, and the lower structure is used as a highway, pedestrian sidewalk and narrow gauge railway.

Cathedral

Tourists from different countries happily come to the city of Porto. Its attractions are diverse. Here everyone can see monuments of history, culture, architecture, etc.

It is believed that once the center of Porto was the Cathedral, and already around it was built a city. The temple is on a high hill and is visible from any point of Porto. No doubt, this is the most popular place where tourists like to be.

The cathedral was built in the XIII century. He looks stern and unapproachable. The fact is that it was rebuilt from an old fortress. This is indicated by jagged thick walls. They were necessary to protect against the Moors.

The church continued to be completed until the XIX century, so the cathedral complex is a combination of a wide variety of styles.

Of particular value is a unique silver altar. 800 kilograms of pure silver were used for its creation. In 1809, he was miraculously saved from French soldiers - the inhabitants of the city quickly immured the altar niche. We recommend you to see the patio. It is laid out by Portuguese tiles "azulezhu."

In June every year the cathedral attracts attention. At this time, traditional celebrations are held in honor of Saint Antonio.

Episcopal Palace

It is the operating residence of all the bishops of Portugal. It is located next to the Cathedral. The episcopal palace has architectural features: it harmoniously combines two styles - rococo and baroque.

The construction of this grand structure was conceived by Bishop João Rafael de Mendon. He ordered to demolish the old palace, which stood in this place, and begin construction of a new building. Construction lasted for several years, and the author of the idea did not see his creation.

It should be noted that many elements of the initial design have been radically changed. Some fragments were completed in a hurry. This violated the construction of the building.

The palace was erected in the XII century, but only the style of windows and some elements of the facade remind of the Romanesque style . Later, it was rebuilt many times and reconstructed.

Porto Calem Port Museum

This unusual museum is located on the territory of one of the oldest wine enterprises in the country. The trademark Porto Calem began its history in 1859. All this time the ports of the highest quality were produced here. The museum acquaints with the history of this ancient production.

In the exposition you can get acquainted with the history of the Douro region, where grape is grown from ancient times, which is necessary for making this port.

In the property of production Porto Calem - a hundred hectares of magnificent vineyards, on which each bunch receives the necessary amount of moisture and light.

Experienced guides will lead everyone to the famous cellars, where guests will learn about the unique characteristics of each type of port. In addition, you can take part in the tasting of this noble drink or buy wine at a local store so that when you return home you can enjoy its aroma.

Crystal Palace Park

Often, tourists who come to the city of Porto, the attractions begin to inspect the Park of the Crystal Palace. Residents of the city are very proud of this amazing place.

Music lovers will enjoy the concerts held in the main pavilion building. Architects will appreciate the harmony of the building. Paradise and Eden merged into a single whole here.

A lake with crystal clear water surrounds the palace. Flowerbeds with strange flowers, palm trees, peacocks - the park has everything you need for romantic walks.

In the central alley you can visit several thematic gardens - "Garden of smells", "Garden of feelings" and "Garden of roses".