Porto

Porto(Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈpoɾtu]), also known asOporto,is thesecond largest cityinPortugal, afterLisbon. It is the capital of thePorto Districtand one of theIberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entiremunicipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropolitan area, with an estimated population of just 248,769 people in a municipality with only 41.42 km(16 sq mi).Porto's metropolitan area has around 1.8 million people(2023)in an area of 2,395 km(925 sq mi),making it the second-largest urban area in Portugal.It is recognized as aglobal citywith a Gamma + rating from theGlobalization and World Cities Research Network.
Located along theDouroRiver estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers and its core was proclaimed aWorld Heritage Siteby UNESCO in 1996, as the "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar". The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal.The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Its settlement dates back to the 2nd century BC when it was an outpost of theRoman Empire. Its combinedCeltic-Latinname,Portus Cale,has been referred to as the origin of the namePortugal, based ontransliterationand oral evolution from Latin.
Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, since the metropolitan area, and in particular thecellarsofVila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export offortified wine.Porto is onthe Portuguese Waypath of theCamino de Santiago. In 2014 and 2017, Porto was electedThe Best European Destinationby the Best European Destinations Agency.
Before the Roman conquest, theGallaeci, aCelticpeople, inhabited the area. Ruins of that period have been discovered in several areas.Archaeological findings reveal that there were also human settlements at the mouth of theDouro Riveras early as the 8th century BC, which hints at aPhoeniciantrading settlement there.
Under theRoman Empire, Porto developed as an important commercial port, primarily in the trade betweenOlissipona(the modernLisbon) andBracara Augusta(the modernBraga).Porto was also important during theSuebianandVisigothictimes, and a center for the expansion of Christianity during that period.
Porto fell under Muslim rule between 714 to 716, following theUmayyad conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom.Porto was reconquered by the Christians underAlfonso IofAsturiasin 741,and thus Porto became a Christian border settlement.Vímara Peres, a GaliciancountfromGallaecia, and a vassal of the King ofAsturias,LéonandGalicia,Alfonso III, was given the fief of Portucale, and the surrounding areas. This included the area from theMinhoto theDouro River: the settlement ofPortus Caleand the area that is known asVila Nova de Gaia. Portus Cale, later referred to asPortucale, was the origin for the modern name ofPortugal.In 868,CountVímara Peres established theCounty of Portugal,Portuguese:Condado de Portucale, usually known asCondado Portucalense, after repopulating the region north of the Douro River.
In 1093,Teresa of León, illegitimate daughter of the kingAlfonso VI of Castile, marriedHenry of Burgundy, bringing theCounty of Portugalas a dowry. ThisCondado Portucalensebecame the focus of what has been called the PortugueseReconquistathat would expand theKingdom of Portugalsouth, beginning in  the reign of KingAfonso I of Portugalin the 12th century.
In 1387, Porto was the site of the marriage ofJohn I of PortugalandPhilippa of Lancaster, daughter ofJohn of Gaunt; this symbolized a long-standingmilitary alliancebetween Portugal andEngland.The Portuguese-English alliance (see theTreaty of Windsor) is the world's oldest recorded military alliance.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Porto's shipyards contributed to the development of Portuguese shipbuilding. Also from the port of Porto, in 1415, PrinceHenry the Navigator(son ofJohn I of Portugal) embarked on theconquest of the Moorish port of Ceuta, in northernMorocco.This expedition by the king and his fleet, which included Prince Henry, was followed by navigation and exploration along the western coast of Africa, initiating the PortugueseAge of Discovery. The nickname that the people of Porto are known by began in those days; Portuenses are to this day, colloquially, referred to astripeiros(tripe peoples), referring to this period of history, when higher-quality cuts of meat were shipped from Porto with their sailors, while off-cuts and by-products, such astripe, were left behind for the citizens of Porto;tripe remains a culturally important dishin modern-day Porto.
By the 13th century, the wine produced in theDouro valleywas already being transported to Porto inbarcos rabelos(flat sailing vessels). In 1703, theMethuen Treatyestablished trade relations and a military alliance between Portugal and England.In 1717, the first English trading post was established in Porto. The production ofport winethen gradually passed into the hands of a few English firms. To counter this dominance, Prime MinisterMarquis of Pombalestablished a monopolistic Portuguese firm to receive all the wines from the Douro valley. He demarcated the region for the production of port, to ensure the wine's quality; this was the first attempt to control wine quality and production in Europe, which was almost a century ahead of a similar exercise in Bordeaux.The small winegrowers revolted against his strict policies onShrove Tuesday, burning down the buildings of this firm. The revolt became known as theRevolta dos Borrachos(revolt of the drunkards).
Between 1732 and 1763, Italian architectNicolau Nasonidesigned abaroquechurch with a tower that became its architectural and visual icon: theTorre dos Clérigos(English: Clerics' Tower). During the 18th and 19th centuries, the city became an important industrial center and its size and population increased.
Porto built its first permanent bridge in 1806, thePonte das Barcas(apontoon bridge). In 1809, theNapoleonictroops in Portugal under MarshalSoult, brought thePeninsular Warto the city of Porto. On 29th March, as the population, along with thousands of fugitives from theadvancing French troopstried to cross the river Douro over thePonte das Barcas, butthe bridge collapsed under the weightcausing thousands of deaths. (This event is still remembered by a plate at thePonte D. Luis I.) TheFrench Armywasrooted out ofPorto byArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, when hisAnglo-Portuguese Armycrossed the Douro River from the Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (a former convent) in a brilliant daylightcoup de main, using wine barges to transport the troops, outflanking the French Army.
Influenced by liberal revolutions occurring in Europe, theLiberal Revolution of 1820started in Porto.The revolutionaries demanded the return ofJohn VI of Portugal, who hadtransferred the Portuguese Courtto the Portuguesecolony of Brazilsince the French invasions of Portugal, it also demanded a constitutional monarchy to be set up in Portugal. In 1822, a liberal constitution was accepted, partly through the efforts of the liberal assembly of Porto (Junta do Porto). WhenMiguel I of Portugaltook the Portuguese throne in 1828, he rejected this constitution and reigned as an anti-liberal, absolutist monarch.A civil war (known as theLiberal Wars) was then fought from 1828 to 1834 between those supporting Constitutionalism, and those opposed to this change, keen on near-absolutism and led by D. Miguel. Porto rebelled again and had to undergo asiege of eighteen monthsbetween 1832 and 1833 by theabsolutistarmy.Porto is also called "Cidade Invicta" (English: Unvanquished City) after successfully resisting theMiguelistsiege. Afterthe abdication of King Miguel, the liberal constitution was re-established.
The collapsedPonte das Barcaswas eventually replaced by thePonte D. Maria II. Known popularly asPonte Pênsil(suspended bridge), it was built between 1841 and 1843, with only its supporting pylons remaining today. ThePonte D. Maria, a railway bridge, was inaugurated on 4 November of 1877;it was considered a feat ofwrought ironengineering and was designed byGustave Eiffel, notable forhis Parisian tower. The laterPonte Dom Luís Ireplaced the aforementioned Ponte Pênsil.This last bridge was made by Theophile Seyrig, a former partner of Eiffel. Seyrig won a governmental competition that took place in 1879. Building began in 1881 and the bridge was opened to the public on 31 October 1886.
A higher-learning institution in nautical sciences (Aula de Náutica) was established in 1762.Astock exchange(Bolsa do Porto, 1834 – 1910) was also established in the city but was discontinued in 1910 following the implementation of the Republic, with the building being returned to the Association in 1911.
Unrest by Republicans led to the31 January 1891 revoltin Porto, the first uprising against the Portuguese monarchy. This resulted ultimately in the overthrow of the monarchy and proclamation of the republic by the5 October 1910 revolution.
On 19 January 1919, forces favorable to the restoration of the monarchy launched acounter-revolutionin Porto known asMonarchy of the North.During this time, Porto was the capital of the restored kingdom, as the movement was contained to the north. The monarchy was deposed less than a month later, which marked the final end to monarchy in Portugal.
The historic center of Porto was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.The World Heritage Site is defined in two concentric zones; the "Protected area", and within it the "Classified area". The Classified area comprises the medieval borough located inside the 14th-century Romanesque wall.In 2001, Porto, alongsideRotterdam, was theEuropean Capital of Culturefor the entire year. For this event, several urban projects, from urban requalification to new infrastructures and public transportation, were put into practice.
Situated at 280Km from Lisbon, in 1996,UNESCOrecognized Porto's historic centre as aWorld Heritage Site.Among the architectural highlights of the city, PortoCathedralis the oldest surviving structure, together with the smallromanesqueChurch of Cedofeita, thegothicIgreja de São Francisco(Church ofSaint Francis), the remnants of thecity wallsand a few 15th-century houses. Thebaroquestyle is well represented in the city in the elaborate gilt workinterior decorationof the churches of St. Francis (São Francisco) and St. Claire (Santa Clara), the churches of Mercy (Misericórdia) and of the Clerics (Clérigos), theEpiscopal Palace of Porto, and others. Theneoclassicismandromanticismof 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 ofSaint Anthony, the Municipality, the buildings in theLiberdade Squareand theAvenida dos Aliados, the tile-adornedSão Bento railway stationand the gardens of theCrystal Palace(Palácio de Cristal). A guided visit to thePalácio da Bolsa, and in particular, the Arab Room is a majortourist attraction.
Many of the city's oldest houses are at risk of collapsing. The population in Porto municipality dropped by nearly 100,000 since the 1980s, but the number of permanent residents in the outskirts and satellite towns has grown strongly.
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 7 civil parishes (freguesias):
Porto features awarm-summer Mediterranean climate(Köppen:Csb), with influences of anoceanic climate(Cfb), common in the north of theIberian Peninsula.As a result, its climate shares many characteristics with the warm, dry Mediterranean climates of southern Europe and the wet marine west coast climates of the North Atlantic, providing it warm, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. Cool and rainy days can, occasionally, interrupt the sunny weather. These occasional summer rainy periods may last a few days and are characterized by showers and cool temperatures around 20 °C (68 °F) in the afternoon. The annual precipitation is high and concentrated in the winter months, making Porto one of the wettest major cities of Europe. However, long periods with higher temperatures and sunny days are frequent even during the rainiest months.
Summers are typically sunny, with average temperatures between 16 and 26 °C (61 and 79 °F), but can rise to as high as 38 °C (100 °F) during occasional heat waves. During such heatwaves, thehumidityremains quite low. Nearby beaches are often windy and usually cooler than the urban areas. Summer average temperatures are a few degrees cooler than those expected in more continentally Mediterranean-influenced Portuguese cities because of the oceanic influence.
Winter temperatures typically range between 6 °C (43 °F) early in the morning and 15 °C (59 °F) in the afternoon, but rarely drop below 0 °C (32 °F) at night. The weather is often rainy for long stretches, although prolonged sunny periods do occur.
Rui Moreira(Independent) is the current mayor of Porto, having taken office on 22 October 2013, following the 2013 local elections. He was reelected in 2017 and 2021.
The Portuguese partyIniciativa Liberal(IL), founded and headquartered in Porto, is the only Portuguese party represented inparliamentwhich is headquartered outside of the Lisbon area.
Breaking down the population further shows that there is a higher percentage of women than men. Estimates from 2016 show that the population is 55% female, compared to 45% male.The largest age group, according to 2016 estimates, is 60 to 69, followed by residents in the 50 to 59 demographic. The majority 93.7% of residents were born inPortugal. The city also has residents that were born inAngola, Brazil,Cape Verde, and countries across Europe.
Porto plus theconurbationto which it belongs and has Porto municipality as its central core forming the nucleus of the conurbation, is a major industrial and financial center of both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula. As the most important city in the heavily industrialized northwest, many of the largest Portuguese corporations from diverseeconomic sectors, likeAltri,Ambar,Amorim,Bial,BPI,Cerealis,CIN,Cofina,EFACEC,Frulact,Lactogal,Millennium bcp, PortoEditora,RAR,Sonae,Sonae Indústria, andSuper Bock Group, are headquartered in theGreater Metropolitan Area of Porto, most notably, in the core municipalities ofMaia,Matosinhos, Porto, andVila Nova de Gaia.
The city's formerstock exchange(Bolsa do Porto) was transformed into the largestderivatives exchangeof Portugal, and merged withLisbon Stock Exchangeto create theBolsa de Valores de Lisboa e Porto, which eventually merged withEuronext, together with Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris stock andfutures exchanges. The building formerly hosting the stock exchange is currently one of the city's touristic attractions, with the Salão Árabe (Arab Room in English) being its major highlight. TheBanco Português de Fomento(BPF), a Portuguese state-owned development bank established in 2020, is headquartered in Porto.
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 at a time one of the tallest in the city (it has been superseded by a number of modern buildings which have been built since the 1990s).
Porto Editora, one of the biggest Portuguese publishers, is also located 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 UpperDouroRiver have been documented since theMiddle Ages. However, they were greatly deepened in the modern age.Indeed,sumach, dry fruits andnutsand the Douroolive oilssustained prosperous exchanges between the region and Porto. From the riverside quays at the river mouth, these products were exported to other markets of theOldandNew World. However, the greatest lever to interregional trade relations resulted from the commercial dynamics of thePort 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 qualityfortified wines, known by the world-famous labelPort. The development of Porto was also closely connected with the left margin of River Douro inVila Nova de Gaia, where is located the amphitheater-shaped slope with the Port wine cellars.
The city is very much the gateway to Portugal's northern region as well as the northern and western areas of Spain. Within a two-hour drive of Porto's airport, there are four Unesco World Heritage sites and popular Spanish tourist hotspots such as Santiago de Compostela.
In a study concerningcompetitivenessof the 18 Portuguese district capitals, Porto was the worst-ranked. The study was made byMinho Universityeconomics researchers and was published inPúbliconewspaper on 30 September 2006. The best-ranked cities in the study wereÉvora, Lisbon, andCoimbra.Nevertheless, the validity of this study was questioned by some Porto notable figures (such as local politicians and businesspersons) who argued that the city proper does not function independently but in conurbation with other municipalities.A 2007 ranking published inExpressoranked Porto as the third best city to live in Portugal – tied withÉvoraand belowGuimarãesandLisbon.
The Porto metropolitan area had a GDP amounting to €43.1 billion ($46.6 billion) and €24,075 ($25,989) per capita in 2023.
Over the last few years, Porto has experienced significant tourism increases, which may be partly linked to theRyanairhub at Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport. Porto won the European Best Destination 2012, 2014 and 2017 awards.
The city received 2.8 million overnight visitors and 1.4 million day trippers between January and November 2017, with 73% from other countries. Tourism revenue has been increasing by over 11%, according to a 2018 report.
According to a February 2019 report, over 10% of economic activity in Porto is generated by tourism.The hotel occupancy rate in 2017 was 77%.A scholarly study published in June 2019 stated that "Porto is one of the fastest-growing European tourist destinations that has experienced
exponential growth in the demand for city-break tourists".
The most popular tourist attractions in the city include the Porto Cathedral, Dom Luís I Bridge,Café Majestic,Livraria Lelloand Jardins do Palácio de Cristal.
The road system capacity is augmented by theVia de Cintura Internaor A20, an internal highway connected to several motorways and city exits, complementing theCircunvalação4-lane peripheric road, which borders the north of the city and connects the eastern side of the city to the Atlantic shore. The city is connected to Valença (Viana do Castelo) by highway A28, to Estarreja (Aveiro) by the A29, toLisbonby the A1, toBragançaby the A4 and toBragaby the A3. There is also an outer-ring road, the A41, that connects all the main cities around Porto, linking the city to other major metropolitan highways such as the A7, A11, A42, A43 and A44. Since 2011, a new highway, the A32, connects the metropolitan area toSão João da MadeiraandOliveira de Azeméis.
TheDom Luís I Bridge(Ponte de Dom Luís I) is a double-deck metal arch bridge that spans the River Douro between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. Built in 1886, its 172 metres (564 ft) span was then the longest of its type in the world. The top-level is used for the Porto Metro trains, with an option for pedestrians; the lower level carries traffic and pedestrians.
During the 20th century, major bridges were built:Arrábida Bridge, which at its opening had the biggest concrete supporting arch in the world, and connects the north and south shores of the Douro on the west side of the city,S. João, to replaceD. Maria PiaandFreixo, a highway bridge on the east side of the city. The newest bridge isInfante Dom Henrique Bridge, finished in 2003. Two more bridges are said to be under designing stages and due to be built in the next 10 years, one on the Campo Alegre area, nearby the Faculty of Humanities and the Arts, and another one in the area known as the Massarelos valley.
Porto is often referred to asCidade das Pontes(City of the Bridges), besides its more traditional nicknames of "Cidade Invicta" (Unconquered/ Invincible City) and "Capital do Norte" (Capital of the North).
In July 2015 a newcruise terminalwas opened at the port of Leixões, which is north of the city inMatosinhos.
Porto is served byFrancisco de Sá Carneiro Airportwhich is located in Pedras Rubras, Moreira da Maia civil parish of the neighbouringMunicipality of Maia, some 15 kilometres (9 miles) to the north-west of the city centre. The airport underwent a massive programme of refurbishment due to theEuro 2004football championships being partly hosted in the city. It is connected to central Porto by metro’s line E. By 2024, the airport served nearly 16 million passengers, being the 2nd busiest airport in Portugal and the37th busiest in Europe.
Porto's main railway station isCampanhã railway station, located in the eastern part of the city and connected to the lines of Douro (Peso da Régua/Tua/Pocinho), Minho (Barcelos/Viana do Castelo/Valença) and centre of Portugal (on the main line toAveiro,CoimbraandLisbon).
From Campanhã station, bothlight railandsuburban railservices connect to the city center. The maincentral stationisSão Bento Station, which is itself a notable landmark in the heart of Porto. This station was built between 1900 and 1916, based on plans by architect José Marques da Silva. The large panels of azulejo tile were designed by Jorge Colaço; the murals represent moments in the country's history and rural scenes showing the people of various regions.
Porto is connected withLisbonvia high-speed trains,Alfa Pendular, that cover the distance in 2h 42min. The intercities take slightly more than 3 hours to cover the same distance. In addition, Porto is connected to the Spanish city ofVigowith theCelta train, running twice every day, a 2h 20min trip.
Currently, the major network is thePorto Metro, alight railsystem. Consequently, the Infante bridge was built for urban traffic, replacing the Dom Luís I, which was dedicated to the light rail on the second and higher of the bridge's two levels. Six lines are open: lines A (blue), B (red), C (green) and E (purple) all begin atEstádio do Dragão(home toFC Porto) and terminate at Senhor de Matosinhos,Póvoa de Varzim(viaVila do Conde),ISMAI(via Maia) and Francisco Sá Carneiro airport respectively. Line D (yellow) currently runs from Hospital S. João in the north to Vila d'Este on the southern side of the Douro river. Line F (orange), from Senhora da Hora (Matosinhos) to Fânzeres (Gondomar). The lines intersect at the centralTrindadestation. Currently, the whole network spans 70 km (43 mi) using 85 stations,thus being the biggesturban rail transitsystem in the country.
In 2019, Porto Metro transferred the management of theFunicular dos Guindaisto Porto city hall.Currently, expansion of the network is underway, with two lines under construction and abus rapid transitexpected to open during 2025.
The city has an extensivebus networkrun by theSTCP(Sociedade dos Transportes Colectivos do Porto, or OportoPublic transportSociety) which also operates lines in the neighbouring cities ofGaia, Maia, Matosinhos,Gondomarand Valongo. Other smaller companies connect such towns asPaços de FerreiraandSanto Tirsoto the town center. In the past, the city also hadtrolleybuses.A bus journey is 2.50 €, which must be paid in cash.
Atram network, of which only three lines remain one of them being a tourist line on the shores of the Douro, saw its construction begin on 12 September 1895, therefore being the first in theIberian Peninsula. The lines in operation all use vintage tramcars, so the service has become aheritage tramway. STCP also operates these routes as well as atram museum. The first line of the area's modern-tram, orlight railsystem, namedMetro do Porto, opened for revenue service in January 2003(after a brief period offree, introductory service in December 2002).
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Porto, for example to and from work, on a weekday is 47 minutes. About 6.5% of public transit riders ride for more than two hours every day. The average time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 12 minutes, while 17.4% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people ride in a single trip with public transit is 6 km, while 5% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.
In 2001, Porto shared the designationEuropean Culture CapitalwithRotterdam.In the scope of these events, the construction of the major concert hall spaceCasa da Música, designed by the Dutch architectRem Koolhaas, was initiated and finished in 2005.
The first Portuguese moving pictures were taken in Porto by Aurélio da Paz dos Reis and shown there on 12 November 1896 in the Teatro do Príncipe Real do Porto, less than a year after the first public presentation byAuguste and Louis Lumière. The country's firstmovie studiosInvicta Filmes was also erected in Porto in 1917 and was open from 1918 to 1927 in the area of Carvalhido.Manoel de Oliveira, a Portuguese film director and the oldest director in the world to be active until his death in 2015, was from Porto.Fantasportois an international film festival organized in Porto every year. TheDCEUfilmThe Suicide Squad(2021) written and directed byJames Gunnbased on aSuicide Squadstory, shows the city twice in the movie, in which shows usDaniela Melchiora Portuguese actress, who portraysRatcatcher 2in which the character is the heart of the film, aPortugueseversion ofRatcatcher.
Many renownedPortuguese musicartists and cult bands such asGNR,Rui Veloso,Sérgio Godinho,Clã,Pluto,AzeitonasandOrnatos Violetaare from the city or its metropolitan area.
Porto has several museums, concert halls, theaters, cinemas,art galleries, libraries and bookshops. The best-known museums of Porto are theNational Museum Soares dos Reis(Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis), which is dedicated especially to the Portugueseartistic movementsfrom the 16th to the 20th century, and the Museum of Contemporary Art of theSerralves Foundation(Museu de Arte Contemporânea).
The city has concert halls such as theColiseu doPorto by the Portuguese architect Cassiano Branco, an example of the Portuguesedecorative arts. Other notable venues include the historicalSão João National Theatre, theRivolitheatre, theBatalha cinemaandCasa da Música, inaugurated in 2005.The city has theLello Bookshop, which is frequently rated among the top bookstores in the world.
Porto houses the largest synagogue in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the largest in Europe –Kadoorie Synagogue, inaugurated in 1938.
Porto's most popular event is St. John (São João Festival) on the night of 23–24 June.In this season it's a tradition to have a vase with bush basil decorated with a small poem. During the dinner of the great day, people usually eat sardines and boiled potatoes together withred wine.
Another major event isQueima das Fitas, which starts on the first Sunday of May and ends on the second Sunday of the month. Basically, before the beginning of thestudy periodpreceding the school year's last exams,academiatries to have as much fun as possible. The week has 12 major events, starting with the Monumental Serenata on Sunday, and reaching its peak with the Cortejo Académico on Tuesday, when about 50,000 students of the city's higher education institutions march through the downtown streets till they reach the city hall. During every night of the week, a series of concerts takes place on the Queimódromo, next to the city's park, where it is also a tradition for the students in their second-to-last year to erect small tents wherealcoholis sold to finance the trip that takes place during the last year of their course of study; an average of 50,000 students attend these events.
Porto was the birthplace in 1856 ofSusanna Roope Dockery, an Anglo-Portuguese watercolour painter who produced many paintings of the city and the people and landscape of the surrounding rural areas. An Englishman,Frederick William Flower, moved to Oporto in 1834 at the age of 19 to work in the wine trade and subsequently became a pioneer of photography in Portugal. Like Dockery, he drew his inspiration from the city, the Douro river and the rural areas.
In 2005, the municipality funded apublic sculptureto be built in the Waterfront Plaza ofMatosinhos. The resulting sculpture is entitledShe Changesby American artist,Janet Echelman, and spans the height of 50 × 150 × 150 metres.
Due to its long history, the city of Oporto carries immense architectural patrimony. From theRomanesqueCathedralto the Social Housing projects developed through the late 20th century, much could be said surrounding architecture.
Porto is home to the OportoSchool of Architecture, one of the most prestigious architecture schools in Europe and the world. It is also home to two earners of thePritzker Architecture Prize(two former students of the aforementionedschool):Álvaro Siza VieiraandEduardo Souto de Moura.
This historic area includes the cathedral with its Romanesque choir, the neoclassical Stock Exchange and the Manueline-style Church of Santa Clara. The entire historic centre has been a National Monument since 2001 under Law No. 107/2001. The "Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar" is a Unesco World Heritage site.
Porto is home to a number of dishes from traditionalPortuguese cuisine. A typical dish from this city isTripas à Moda doOporto (TripeOporto style).Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá(cod in the style of Gomes de Sá) is another typicalcodfishdish born in Oporto and popular in Portugal.
TheFrancesinhais the most popular native snack food in Porto. It is a kind of sandwich with several types of meat covered with cheese and a special sauce made with beer and other ingredients.
Rojões(fried pork meat) andsarrabulho(pig blood-based dish) are also typical dishes ofNorte Regionwhich are very popular in the regional capital, the city of Porto. Like in almost all coastal areas of the Portuguese littoral with wide availability of fresh fish,sardinha assada(grilled sardine) is also a usual, classic main dish.
Port wine, an internationally renowned wine, is widely accepted as the city'sdessert wine, especially as the wine is made along theDouroRiver, which runs through the city.
The city has a large number of public and privateelementary and secondary schools, as well as kindergartens and nurseries. The oldest and largest international school located in Oporto is theOporto British School, established in 1894. There are more international schools in the city, such as theFrench School,theDeutsche Schule zu Porto,and theOporto International School, which were created in the 20th century.
Porto has several institutions of higher education, the largest one being the state-managedUniversity of Porto(Universidade do Porto), which is the second largest Portuguese university, after theUniversity of Lisbon, with approximately 28,000 students and considered one of the 100 best Universities in Europe.There is also a state-managedpolytechnicinstitute, theInstituto Politécnico doOporto (a group of technical colleges), and private institutions like theLusíada University of Porto,Universidade Fernando Pessoa(UFP), the Porto's Higher Education School of Arts (ESAP- Escola Superior Artística do Porto) and aVatican stateuniversity, thePortuguese Catholic Universityin Oporto (Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto) and the Portucalense University in Oporto (Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique). Due to the recognition, potential for employment and higher revenue, there are many students from the entire country, particularly from thenorth of Portugal, attending a college or university in Porto.
For foreigners wishing to study Portuguese in the city there are a number of options. As the most popular city in Portugal forERASMUSstudents, most universities have facilities to assist foreigners in learning the language. There are also several private language learning institutions in the city.
Porto, in addition to football stadia since football is by far the most popular sport in Oporto and across the entire country, is home to many athletic sports arenas, most notably the city-ownedSuper Bock Arena(formerly Pavilhão Rosa Mota), swimming pools in the area ofConstituição(between theMarquêsandBoavista), and other minor arenas, such as thePavilhão do Académico, as well as to other sports fields. These sports arenas, swimming pools and sports fields are used for the practice of sports, including varsity and competitive professional sports, in a diversity of sport disciplines ranging from handball, basketball, futsal and field hockey to rink hockey, volleyball, water polo and rugby.
Porto is home to northern Portugal's onlyCricketclub, theOporto Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club. Annually, for more than 100 years, a match (theKendall Cup) has been played between the Oporto Club and the Casuals Club ofLisbon, in addition to regular games against touring teams (mainly from England). The club's pitch is located off theRua Campo Alegre.
In 1958 and 1960, Porto's streets hosted the Formula OnePortuguese Grand Prixon theBoavista street circuit, which are reenacted annually, in addition to aWorld Touring Car Championshiprace.
It is one of the potential host cities for the2030 FIFA World Cup.
Every year in October the OportoMarathonis held through the streets of the old city of Porto.
In 2023HC Portobecame the first Portugueseice hockeyteam to join theSpanishLiga Nacional de Hockey Hielo(LNHH) after an agreement was made between thePortuguese Winter Sports Federation,Royal Spanish Winter Sports Federationand theInternational Ice Hockey Federation.
As in most Portuguese cities,footballis the most popular sport. There are two main teams in Porto:FC Portoin the parish ofCampanhãin the eastern part of the city, andBoavistain the area of Boavista in the parish ofRamalde, in the western part of the city, close to the city centre. FC Porto is one of the "Big Three" teams in the main Portuguese football league, and was European champion in 1987 and 2004, won the UEFA Cup (2003) and Europa League (2011) and the Intercontinental Toyota Cup in 1987 and 2004. Boavista have won the championship once, in the2000–01 seasonand reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2003, where they lost 2–1 toCeltic.
Formerly,SalgueirosfromParanhoswas a regular first division club during the 1980s and 1990s but, due to financial indebtedness, the club folded in the 2000s. The club wasrefounded in 2008and began playing at the regional level. They now play at the third level of Portugal's national football pyramid.
The biggest stadiums in the city are FC Porto'sEstádio do Dragãoand Boavista'sEstádio do Bessa. The first team in Oporto to own a stadium wasAcadémico, who played in theEstádio do Lima, Académico was one of the eight teams to dispute the first division. Salgueiros, sold the grounds ofEstádio Engenheiro Vidal Pinheirofield to the OportoMetroand planned on building a new field in theArca d'Águaarea of Porto. Located a few hundred metres away from the old grounds, it became impossible to build on this plot of land due to a large underground water pocket, and, consequently, they moved to theEstádio do Mar(owned byLeixões S.C.) in the neighboringMatosinhosmunicipality. For theEuro 2004football competition, held in Portugal, the Estádio do Dragão was built (replacing the oldEstádio das Antas) and the Estádio do Bessa was renovated.
TheFC Porto's basketball teamplays its home games at theDragão Caixa. Its squad won the second most championships in the history ofPortugal's 1st Division. Traditionally, the club provides thePortuguese national basketball teamwith numerous key players.
Porto istwinnedwith: