Porto (pronounced as por-tu in Portuguese) or Oporto in English, is the secondary urban city of Portugal. It is the capital of the Norte NUTS II region. The city is located near the Douro River in Northern Portugal. Porto is also the largest city in the region, with an urbanized land area of 150 square miles or 390 square kilometers. It has the same size as St. Catherines-Niagara, Oslo Busan (South Korea), and Honolulu in Hawaii.Read more about Porto
Porto is considered as the economic and cultural heart of the region. It is one of the most industrialized areas in Portugal. Maia, one of Porto’s cities, has the largest industrial park in Portugal. Porto is also known for its Historic Center which was declared as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1996. This is where the oldest surviving structure can be seen – the Porto Cathedral, which was built during the 15th century.
Architectural Highlights in Porto
There are five prevailing architectural designs in Porto, Portugal:
The Romanesque design of the Church of Cedofieta is a type of design that is characterized by massive walls, rounded arches, sturdy construction, regular, and symmetrical plan. This architectural design was very evident during the middle ages in Europe.
The Gothic design of Igre Sao Francisco (St. Francis Church) is reminiscent of the Romanesque period. Gothic architecture flourished during the late medieval period. This type of design is commonly used in the construction of cathedrals, castles, palaces, town halls, or universities. Its identifying features are pointed archs, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.
The churches of St. Francis, St. Claire or Santa Clara, Mercy (Misericorida), and the Episcopal Palace of Porto were built using the Baroque style. The Baroque style was popular during the western cultural period. This period was all about drama and grandeur in sculpture, painting, music, literature, and dance. The Baroque design is intricate and is meant to impress the viewers.
The Neoclassicism and Romanticism styles are the designs used in the Stock Exchange Building, the Saint Anthony Hospital, the Municipality Building, the Liberdade Square buildings, the Avenida dos Aliados, the tiles of the Sao Bento Train Station, and the gardens of the Crystal Palace or Palacio de Cristal. This type of design conveys aesthetic experience, trepidation, horror, and awe.
Culture of the Porto People
The first Portuguese movie was shot in Porto by Aurelio da Paz doe Reis. This was shown on November 12, 1896 in Teatro do Principe Real do Porto. Porto’s first movie studio Invicta Filmes was established in 1917 and was open from 1918 to 1927. The Fantasporto is an international film festival held in Porto every year to commemorate Porto’s love for the arts.
Porto has numerous libraries, museums, performing halls, theaters, cinemas, galleries, and book shops around the city. Among these are the well-known National Museum Soraes Dos Reis and the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Serralves Foundation. Other favorite venues include Sao Joao National Theater, the Rivoli Theater, the Batalha Cinema, and Casa da Musica. Porto also boasts of Lello, a book shop which was awarded third place in The Guardian’s list of top book shops.
Entertainment in Porto
The city’s most popular event is Sao Joao Festival or St. John Festival. This festival is celebrated on the nights of June 23 to 24. It is a tradition during the celebration to have a vase or a container with bush basil and a short poem. A Porto dinner during this festival is a spread of sardines and boiled potatoes together with red wine on the dinner table.
Queima das Fitas is another major event. This event starts on the first Sunday of May and runs until the second Sunday of the same month. Queima das Fitas is an event for students to enjoy before their final exams for the school year. About 50,000 college students parade around the downtown streets until they reach the city hall. There are series of concerts held every night in city parks during the week. Students take advantage of this festivity to earn money. They set up small tents and sell alcoholic beverages to visitors and local residents of the city.
Local Porto Food & Cuisine
Porto, like other Portugal cities, is famous for its delectable and traditional Portuguese cuisine. A signature dish of the city is Tripas a Moda do Porto or Tripes Porto-style. This cuisine is a mixture of small intestines of farm animals, white beans, garlic, onion, cloves, and bay leaf. Spices like paprika, cumin, curry powder, and pepper are also added to create this dish. Another favorite dish is Gomes de Sa Bacalhau. This a one pot dish of codfish, potatoes, and onions cooked in perfection.
The Francesinha, or its literal translation, Frenchy, is the most popular local snack item in Porto. It is a sandwich with multiple layers of meat topped with cheese and a special sauce made with beer and other ingredients.
There are a number of products that makes Porto popular, but its Port Wine stands out for wine enthusiasts all over the world. Fittingly named after the city where it is produced and shipped from the area, it is commonly drunk as a sweet red wine, but it is also available in dry, semi-dry, and white wine varieties.
Economy in Porto
Porto has always rivaled Lisbon in economic power despite its being much inferior in size. Many headquarters of the largest corporations and major economic players in Portugal are stationed in Porto.
Porto’s greatest advantage in its trade relations is its commercial Port wine industry. It improved the trade relationship between the large coastal urban section and the agricultural areas in the production of high quality wine, which today is sold in many parts of the world.
The Conclusion
Porto is a city that enjoys the best of both worlds: economic success and rich cultural heritage. The Porto people have proven that two different forces, namely, economic power and cultural inheritance, can harmoniously co-exist. One force supports the other.
The city is surrounded with magnificent structures and the people practice local traditions that constantly remind its people of their history or identity. But despite of the strong cultural background, Porto still manages to successfully adapt to the demands of development.
More Information about Porto
- National Name: Republica Portuguesa
- Government: Parliamentary Democracy
- Monetary Unit: Euro (formerly Escudo)
- Languages: Portuguese (official), Mirandese (locally used)
- Ethnicity/Race: Mediterranean stock
- Prevailing Religion: Roman Catholic (84.5% of the total population of Portugal)
- Communications: telephones, radio broadcast stations, television broadcast
stations, Internet service providers - Transportation: railways, highways, waterways, ports and harbors, and airports
- Climate: temperate dry summer, mild rainy winters
- Public Health: Porto has the highest rate of tuberculosis positive cases in Portugal.