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OPORTO - PORTUGAL
Porto (in English also Oporto), population 263,000 in 15 parishes, with
1,551,950 in the metropolitan area, is Portugal's second city and
district seat. It is situated in the north of the country, on the
northern bank of the Douro River, just in from the coast of the Atlantic
Ocean. The country and the Port Wine (Portuguese: Vinho do Porto) owe
their names to the city of Porto.
Historic references the city go back to the 5th century and Roman times.
In the period before the foundation of Portugal, it was named Portus
Cale - Harbour of Cale in English. The surrounding county was thus named
Condado Portucalense. This county later became the independent kingdom
called Portugal, which eventually expanded to its current frontiers .
This city was the scene for the marriage of
João I and Philippa of Lancaster, symbolising the long-standing military
alliance between Portugal and England. This alliance was at times respected
and at other times not.
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.
One of Portugal's internationally appreciated products is Port Wine. Its
name comes from the fact that it ages in cellars in Porto's sister city Vila
Nova de Gaia, just across the river.
The Italian architect Nasoni designed a tower that was built in one of the
central zones of the city and became its icon: Torre dos Clérigos.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became an important industrial
centre and saw its size and population increase. A two-level iron bridge -
Luís I - and a railway bridge - Maria Pia -, both designed by Gustave Eiffel
were constructed, as well as the central railway station (São Bento,
considered to be one of the most beautiful in Europe). A university (Aula de
Náutica, 1762) and stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834) were established in
the city.
A tram network spanning the city was also built, but nowadays only one line
remains, going through the river and sea marginals and is mainly used by
tourists.
During the 20th century, other bridges were built: Arrábida, which, at its
opening, had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, for high
speed traffic in the West side of the city. Then came S. João, to replace
Maria Pia. And Freixo for high speed traffic in the East side of the city.
Porto hosts the most popular Portuguese newspaper, Jornal de Notícias. The
building where its offices are located (which has the same name as the
newspaper) is one of the tallest in the city.
Porto Editora, the most important Portuguese publisher is also in Porto. Its
dictionaries are considered the standard reference works for Portuguese.
The city's stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto) merged with Lisbon's, originating
Bolsa de Valores de Lisboa, which later merged with Euronext, together with
Amsterdam, Brussels, LIFFE and Paris.
In recent years, UNESCO recognised the historic centre (which dates back to
the middle ages as a World heritage site.
In 2001, Porto shared the designation European Culture Capital with the
Dutch city of Rotterdam). In the scope of these event, the construction of
the major concert hall space Casa da Música (http://www.porto2001.pt/),
designed by the Dutch arquitect Rem Koolhaas, was initiated.
Currently the major project in development is the subway. 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 the technical
perspective. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built, for urban traffic,
replacing Luís I, which will be dedicated to the subway.
The football clubs FC Porto and Boavista FC, playing in the highest
Portuguese division, are both from Porto.
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