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"Oporto" redirects here. For other uses of Porto and Oporto, see Porto (disambiguation). Porto (in English also Oporto; Portuguese pron. IPA 'poɾtu}}), population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with about 1,800,000 in the Greater Porto Area (continuous urban aglomeration), is Portugal's second city. Porto is a modern cosmopolitan large northern Atlantic city and one of the most industrialised districts of Portugal. To those who know Portugal, Porto is often considered the cultural capital of the country. One of Portugal's most internationally famous products, Port wine (Vinho do Porto), was named after the city because it was originally shipped from the area• or, more precisely, from Vila Nova de Gaia, a city just across the river which belongs to the same conurbation. The country of Portugal was not (contrary to popular but unfounded beliefs) directly named after this city. The modern name of Portugal comes from the Latin name of the County of Portus Cale which in turn got its name from the Latin name of Porto. Porto means "port" in Portuguese. Only wine produced in the Douro demarcated region, an area inland of Porto along the Douro river, can be labelled as Port wine. Porto is the cultural and administrative center of Grande Área Metropolitana do Porto metropolitan area, and Greater Porto NUTS III subregion capital, in Norte region. Porto is well known for its enterprising spirit, characteristic culture, people, and local cuisine. The city proper is sometimes referred to as Capital do Norte, or Capital of the North. In fact the city is today the capital of Norte, a NUTS II region which covers entire northern Portugal. Its people is noted throughout the country for its typical Nortenho accent. Ribeira, the historic Centre of Porto, has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO (1996).
History Historic references to the city go back to the 4th century and to Roman times, although Celtic and pre-Celtic remnants of ancient Citadels were found in the heart of where Porto now lies. In the period before the foundation of Portugal, it was named Portus Cale - Port of Gaia in English. The surrounding county was thus named Condado Portucalense (English: County of Portus Cale). The Moors invaded Lusitania during the 8th century, but they couldn't get a firm foothold in Portucale, the region between the rivers Minho and Douro. In 1095 Teresa of León, illigimaten daughter of king Alfonso VI of Castile, married Henry of Burgundy, bringing the County of Portugal as dowry. This Condado Portucalense became the focus of the Reconquista and later became the independent kingdom called Portugal, after eventually expanding to its current frontiers into the south as it reconquered territory back from the invading Moors under the reign of King Dom Afonso Henriques, o Conquistador in the beginning of the 1st millennium. In 1387 this city was the scene for the marriage of João I and Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, symbolising the long-standing military alliance between Portugal and England, the world's oldest military alliance, which still holds via NATO. At the time of his marriage the king stayed at the Church of St. Francis as a proof of his esteem for the Franciscans. In the 14th and the 15th centuries, the shipyards of Porto contributed to the development of the Portuguese fleet. In 1415 Henry the Navigator, son of João I, left from Porto to attack the Muslim port of Ceuta in northern Morocco. This expedition led to the exploratory voyages that he later sent down the coast of Africa. Wine, produced in the Douro valley, was already in the 13th century transported to Porto in barcos rabelos (flat sailing vessels). In 1703 the Methuen Treaty established the trade relations between Portugal and England. It allowed English woollen cloth to be admitted into Portugal free of duty. In return, Portuguese wines imported into England would be subject to a third less duty in contrast to French imported wines. This was particularly important with regards to the Port industry. As England was at war with France it became increasingly difficult to acquire wine and so port started to become a popular replacement. In 1717 a first English trading post was established in Porto. The production of port wine then gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms. To counter this English dominance, prime minister Marquis of Pombal established a Portuguese firm receiving the monopoly of the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; his was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe. The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies on Shrove Tuesday, burning down the buildings of this firm . The revolt was called Revolta dos Borrachos (revolt of the drunks) and became a symbol of the freedom spirit of the inhabitants of Porto. Between 1732 and 1763, Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni designed a baroque church with a tower that would become its icon: the Torre dos Clérigos (English: Clerics Tower). During the 18th and 19th centuries the city became an important industrial centre and saw its size and population increase. The invasion of the Napoleonic troops in Portugal under Marshal Soult is still vividly remembered in Porto. On 29 March 1809, as the population fled for the advancing troops and tried to cross the river Douro over the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge), the bridge collapsed under the weight. Possibly 6,000 people drowned in the disaster. This event is still remebered by a plate at the Ponte D. Luis I. The French army was rooted out of Porto by Arthur Wellesley, when his troops crossed the Douro river from the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (a former convent) in a brilliant daylight coup de main. In August 1820 Porto rebelled against the English occupation, resulting in a civil war in Portugal. In 1822 a liberal constitution was accepted, partly through the efforts of the liberal assembly of Porto (Junta do Porto). When Miguel of Portugal took the Portuguese throne in 1828, he rejected this constitution and reigned as an absolutist monarch. Porto rebelled again and had to undergo a siege of eighteen months between 1832 and 1833 by the Portuguese army. After the abdication of king Miguel the liberal constitution was re-established. Unrest by republicans led to a revolt in Porto on 31 January 1891. This would result ultimately in the creation of the Portuguese republic in 1910. A two-level iron bridge - Dom Luís I (designed by the Belgian engineer Téophile Seyrig, a student of Gustave Eiffel), and a railway bridge - Maria Pia, designed by Eiffel in association with Seyrig, were constructed, as well as the central railway station (São Bento, considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe, ornamented with lavish painted tiles). A higher learning institution in nautical sciences (Aula de Náutica, 1762) and a stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834) were established in the city but would be discontinued later. For having bravely resisted a military invasion in the 19th century by the Imperial Napoleonic Armies, and never been conquered by either attempts by the Moors or, militarily, even the Romans, the city is now known as The Unvanquished City (A Cidade Invicta). Culture
Transportation Known as the city of bridges, the first permanent bridge – the Ponte das Barcas (a pontoon bridge) – was built in 1806, but three years later was sabotaged to prevent the invasion led by Marshal Soult during the Peninsular War with Napoleonic troops, who were believed to be coming from the south. However, they appeared from the north, and the population, unware of the situation, tried to flee across it en masse, causing the death of around 4000 localsfact. It was replaced in 1843 by the Ponte D. Maria II, known as Ponte Pênsil (suspended), of which only the supporting pylons remain after being replaced by the Luís I and the Maria Pia bridges. During the 20th century, other bridges were built: Arrábida, which at its opening had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, and connects north and south shores of the Douro on the west side of the city, S. João, to replace Maria Pia and Freixo, on the east side of the city. The newest bridge is Ponte do Infante, finished in 2003. Porto is served by Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (IATA: OPO) which is located some 15km to the north-west of the city centre. The airport is a state-of-the-art facility, having undergone a massive program of refurbishment due to the Euro 2004 football championships being partly hosted in the city. Direct flights to a growing number of major cities in Europe and the Americas are available; from these, of special interest are low cost connections to London, Frankfurt, Liverpool, Dublin and Paris. Currently the major project is the Porto Metro system. It is the most expensive public construction project currently in progress in Europe, mainly due to the city's soil, which is extremely complex from a technical perspective and very expensive to dig. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built for urban traffic, replacing the Dom Luís I, which was dedicated to the subway on the second and higher of the bridge's two levels. Five lines are open: lines A (blue), B (red), C (green) and E (purple) all begin at Estádio do Dragão (home to FC Porto) and terminate at Senhor do Matosinhos, Póvoa de Varzim (via Vila do Conde), ISMAI (via Maia) and Francisco Sá Carneiro airport respectively. Line D (yellow) currently runs from Hospital S. João in the north to João de Deus on the southern side of the Douro river. The lines intersect at the central Trindade station. Currently the whole network spans 60 km (37 miles) using 68 stations, thus being the biggest in the country. The city has an extensive bus network run by the STCP (Sociedade dos Transportes Colectivos do Porto, or Porto Public Transport Society) which also operates lines in the neighbouring cities of Gaia, Maia and Gondomar. Other smaller companies connect such towns as Paços de Ferreira and Santo Tirso to the town center. In the past the city also had trolley-buses. A tram network, of which only a tourist line on the shores of the Douro remain, saw its construction begin in 12 September 1895, therefore being the first in the Iberian Peninsula. Taxicabs are available throughout the city and are recognizable as cream sedans (usually Mercedes-Benz models). The road system capacity is augmented by the Via de Cintura Interna, an internal highway connected to several national highways and city exits, complementing the Circunvalação 4-way road, which borders the north of the city and connects the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore. Climate Porto lies just to the north of a coastal mediterranean climate zone that encompasses most of central and southern Portugal. As a result, its climate shares many characteristics with the coastal south: temperate dry summers, and mild rainy winters. Unlike the south, however, cool and rainy interludes can interrupt the summer dry season and the season's average length is considerably shorter. Also, the city's more northern position and coastal location off the Atlantic often results in notably cooler weather in Porto than to its south, especially during summer. Summers are typically sunny with temperatures between 16°C and 27°C but can rise to as high as 40°C during occasional heat waves, which typically last between 5 and 10 days. During such heat waves, the humidity remains quite low, but during dry years nearby forest fires can add haze and ash to the air making breathing somewhat uncomfortable, especially at night. Nearby beaches are often windy and usually cooler than the urban areas. In contrast, occasional summer rainy periods usually last a few days and are characterized by frequent showers, wind, and cool temeperatures around 22°C. An umbrella and some light rain gear is usually sufficient to travel the city comfortably during such weather. Winter temperatures typically range between 5°C during morning and 16°C during afternoon, but can occasionally drop below 0°C at night. The weather is often rainy and windy for long stretches, although prolonged sunny periods do occur. Spring and Fall are smooth transitions between the neighboring seasons. Rain increases in frequency between late September and late October, and becomes less common in mid April or early May. Heat waves are extremely rare outside the months of June, July, and August; yet, most residents classify the months of July, August, and September as summer months. September is in fact slightly warmer on average than June, although heat waves are usually absent. Highlights In recent years, UNESCO recognised its historic centre as a World Heritage Site. Among the architectural highlights of the city, the Oporto Cathedral is the oldest surviving structure, together with the small Romanesque Church of Cedofeita, the Gothic Igreja de São Francisco (Church of Saint Francis), the remnants of the city walls and a few 15th-century houses. The baroque style is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt work interior decoration of the churches of St. Francis and St. Claire (Santa Clara), the churches of Mercy (Misericórida) and of the Clerics (Igreja dos Clérigos), the Palace of the Archbishop, and others. The neoclassicism and romanticism of the 19th and 20th centuries also added interesting monuments to the landscape of the city, like the magnificent Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa), the Hospital of Saint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in the Avenida dos Aliados, the tile-adorned Sao Bento Train Station and the gardens of the Crystal Palace (Palácio de Cristal). A guided visit to the Palácio da Bolsa, and in particular the Arab Room, is a gem that no visitor should miss. In 2001, Porto shared the designation European Culture Capital (together with the Dutch city of Rotterdam). In the scope of these events, the construction of the major concert hall space Casa da Música, designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, was initiated and finished in 2005. The Fantasporto International Film Festival is a great cultural event of the city, attracting many national and foreign film commentators to the city. Porto is an extremely rich city in cultural and historical terms, however its progressive abandonment is very prejudicial to its integrity. The more ancient houses are abandoned and the local government doesn't practice much actions of maintenance. Many of the city's oldest houses are at risk of collapsing. Economy Porto has always rivaled Lisbon in economic power. As the most important city in the heavily industrialised north, many of the largest Portuguese corporations from diverse economic sectors, like Altri, Amorim, Bial, EFACEC, Lactogal, Millennium bcp, Porto Editora, Sonae, and Unicer, are headquartered in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Porto. The city's former stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto) was transformed into the largest derivatives exchange of Portugal, and merged with Lisbon Stock Exchange to create the Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto, which eventually merged with Euronext, together with Amsterdam, Brussels, LIFFE and Paris stock and futures exchanges. The building formely hosting the stock exchange is currently one of the city's touristic attractions, the Salão Árabe (Arab Room in English) being its major highlight. Porto hosts a popular Portuguese newspaper, Jornal de Notícias. The building where its offices are located (which has the same name as the newspaper) was up to recently one of the tallest in the city (it has been superseded by a number of modern buildings which have been built in the last 10 years). Porto Editora, one of the biggest Portuguese publishers, is also in Porto. Its dictionaries are among the most popular references used in the country, and the translations are very popular as well. The economic relations between the city of Porto and the Upper Douro River have been documented since the Middle Ages. However, they were greatly deepened in the modern ages. Indeed, sumach, dry fruits and nuts and the Douro olive oils sustained prosperous exchanges between the region and Porto. From the riverside quays at the river mouth, these products were exported to other markets of the Old and New World. But the greatest lever to interregional trade relations resulted from the commercial dynamics of the Port wine (Vinho do Porto) agro industry. It decidedly bolstered the complementary relationship between the large coastal urban centre, endowed with open doors to the sea, and a region with significant agricultural potential, especially in terms of the production of extremely high quality fortified wines, today known by the world-famous label Port. The development of Porto was also closely connected with the left margin of River Douro in Vila Nova de Gaia, where is located the amphitheatre-shaped slope with the Port wine cellars. In a study concerning competitiveness of the 18 Portuguese district capitals, Porto was the worst-ranked. The study was made by Minho University economics researchers and was published in Público newspaper on 30th September 2006. The best-ranked cities in the study were Évora, Lisbon and Coimbra. Although, the validity of this study was questioned by some Porto's notable figures (such as local politicians and businesspersons) who argued that the city proper do not functions independently but in conurbation with other municipalities. Education The city has a large number of public and private basic and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens and nurseries. Due to the depopulation of the city's interior, however, the number of students has dropped substantially in the last decade, forcing a closure of some institutions. The largest and oldest international school located in Porto is the Oporto British School established in 1894. Porto has several institutions of higher education, the larger one being the state-managed University of Porto (Universidade do Porto), which is the largest Portuguese university with approximately 35,000 students. There are also a state-managed polytechnic institute, the Instituto Politécnico do Porto (a group of technical colleges), and privately-owned institutions like the Portuguese Catholic University at Porto (Universidade Católica Portuguesa - Porto) and the Porto's Higher Education School of Arts (ESAP- Escola Superior Artística do Porto). Due to the recognition, potential for employment and higher revenue, there are many students from the entire country and particularly from the north of Portugal, attending a college or university in Porto. Twin cities Source: http://www.cm-porto.pt/pagegen.asp?SYS_PAGE_ID=450142 Sports As in most Portuguese cities, football is the most important sport in the city. Top division champions FC Porto and Boavista FC are both from Porto, while SC Salgueiros, a third club, has fallen into heavy debts and now plays in the third division after being one of the most regular first division clubs during the 1980s and 1990s. There are two major grounds, the Estádio do Dragão and the Estádio do Bessa, owned by the two Portuguese Liga clubs and present in the . Salgueiros, who sold their Vidal Pinheiro ground to the Porto Metro company planned to build a new one in the Arca d'Água zone, few hundred meters away from the old grounds, but due to a large underground water pocket, it is impossible to build there, and so they moved to the Estádio do Mar in Matosinhos, owned by Leixões SC. As there isn't a multi-purpose city-owned stadium, the only with athletics track is the Estádio Universitário, where the rugby team of the CDUP (Porto University Sports Team) plays. There are other football grounds, with sand or dirt surfaces, owned by clubs in the amateur league, featured in a cult show on NTV named N FC Porto won the UEFA Champions League twice: in 1987 and in 2004. Their long time president, Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa, is one of the most charismatic figures in Portuguese football. He managed to establish FC Porto as one of the most powerful European football clubs and reduce the influence of the Lisbon clubs, which was notorious during António de Oliveira Salazar's Dictatorship. Pinto da Costa is not the only charismatic figure in the recent history of FC Porto: José Mourinho coached Porto to a victory in the 2003 UEFA Cup (beating Celtic in the final in Seville) and their magnificent 2004 Champions League triumph which was clinched with a victory over Monaco. There are other sports arenas in Porto, notably the city-owned Pavilhão Rosa Mota (now unused due to a bad relationship between the mayor and the FC Porto board), swimming pools in the Constituição area, between the Marquês and Boavista, and other minor arenas, such as the Pavilhão do Académico. Porto is also home to the North of Portugal's only cricket club, and possibly the oldest European cricket club outside of the British Isles, the Oporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. Every year, for more than 100 years, a match, the Kendall Cup, has been played between the Oporto Club and the Casuals Club of Lisbon, as well as various games against touring teams, mainly from England. The Club and pitch are located off Rua Campo Alegre. In 1958 and 1960, Porto's streets hosted the Formula One Portuguese Grand Prix on the Boavista street circuit. A reenactment of the races was held from 8 July to 10 July, 2005. Parishes
Gallery Image:ParqueCidade Porto.JPG|City Park Image:Sbento trainstation porto.JPG|S. Bento train station Image:Pailhao rosa mota porto.JPG|Pavilhão Rosa Mota Sports arena and XVIII aristocratic garden Image:Coliseu do Porto.JPG|Coliseu do Porto Opera, concert, and theatre house Image:Castelo do Queijo.JPG|Castelo do Queijo Coastal fortress Image:Ribeira_Porto_Portugal.jpg|Ancient part of Ribeira Image:Porto City Hall.JPG|City Hall Image:Ponte arrabida 28-9-04.jpg|Ponte D'Arrabida Image:800px-Blick über den Rio Douro auf Porto.jpg|Rabelo, traditional boat on Douro river Image:Estadio dragao entrance.jpg|Estádio do Dragão Image:Estadio do bessa.jpg|Estádio do Bessa Image:Porto metro cdm.jpg|A Metro Sign and the Casa da Música concert hall Image:Porto_-_Escada_das_Verdades.jpg|Toponomy of Porto Image:Porto_-_Ponte_Dom_Luis_I_e_casario.jpg|Dom Luis I Bridge as background Image:Porto_-_Ponte_Dom_Luis_I.jpg|Dom Luis Is Bridge seen from Porto's Side Image:Porto_-_Ribeira.jpg|Ribeira do Porto Image:Porto_-_Jardim_do_Morro.jpg|Arrábida bridge seen from Vila Nova de Gaia's side at Jardim do Morros park. Image:Porto_-_Estação_da_Campanhã.jpg|Estação da Campanhã, Porto's main Railway Station Image:Porto_-_Casa_Oriental.jpg|Casa Oriental Image:Porto_-_Dom_Luis_I_Tabuleiro_Superior.jpg|Upper board of Dom Luis I bridge Image:Ribeira from Dom Luís bridge (VN Gaia end).jpg|Ribeira at night from the Dom Luís bridge Famous Portuenses Trivia Occasionally Porto is also called "Cidade Invicta" (English: Unvanquished City) after its brilliant and victorious resistance to the Napoleonic Imperial army. The town's full name is Antiga, Mui Nobre, Sempre Leal e Invicta Cidade do Porto (Ancient, Very Noble, Always Loyal and Unvanquished City of Porto) An anecdote from the times of Portugal's expansion overseas tells of the citizens of Porto providing meat for the sailors and retaining only tripes (tripas in Portuguese) for themselves. The Portans thus acquired the nickname tripeiros, which is still in use today. From the same episode a typical dish from this city was created, Tripas à Moda do Porto (Tripes à la Porto in English), which still can be found everywhere in the city today. Francesinha ("Frenchie") is the most famous popular native snack food in Porto. It's a kind of sandwich with several meats covered with cheese and a special sauce. In the early 1990s J.K. Rowling lived in Porto teaching English. While in Porto, she married Portuguese television journalist Jorge Arantes on 16 October 1992. They had one child, Jessica Isabel, before divorcing in 1993. Porto district is the national recordist of tuberculosis positive cases. Porto tuberculosis rates are at Third World proportions (when compared to London which faces a similar phenomenon *). The incidence of positive cases was 23/100 000 nationwide in 1994, with a rate of 24/100 000 in Lisbon and 37/100 000 in Porto. Porto area represented the worst epidemiological situation in the country, with very high rates in some city boroughs and in some poor fishing and declining industrial communities. Epidemiological analysis indicated the existence of undisclosed sources of infection in these communities, responsible for continuing transmission despite a cure rate of 83% in the district. (*) In 2002 the situation was not better with 34/100 000 nationwide and 64/100 000 in Porto. (*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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