The Cultural and Natural Heritage of Northern Portugal

The region of Northern Portugal

The political division of the region

Some information about Northern Portugal.

The Northern Region of Portugal is located in northern part of this country, and western part of Iberic Peninsula. The capital city is Porto. The region has 3,689,173 inhabitants and the area is 21,278 km² (173 inhabitants per square kilometre)

Northern Portugal is divided into: Alto Trás-os-Monte, Ave, Cávado, Douro, Entre Douro a Vouga, Grande Porto, Minho-Lima, Tâmega

The coast of the Atlantic Ocean, near Porto

Northern Portugal, views from the aeroplane

Porto- The Capital of Northern Portugal

Porto (Portuguese Oporto) is the capital city of Northern Portugal. It’s

located over the Atlantic Ocean and along the Douro River estuary.Porto is one of the oldest European centres, and registered as a WorldHeritage Site by UNESCO in 1996. The first settlement was establishedby Celtic and Roman people, it was a very important seaport at this time.

In the 19th century there was an industrial development of the city. Thesymbol of this era is the bridge on River Douro . Many of the city's oldesthouses are at risk of collapsing. The population in Porto municipality hasdropped by nearly 100,000 since the 1980s, but the number of permanentresidents in the outskirts and satellite towns has grown.

Ponte Dona Maria, a railway bridge built in 1877 by Gustave Eiffel

Tradition intertwines with modernity in Porto.This city is full of monuments. Many guidebooks say that Porto is the pearl of Portugalhistory and culture. Traditional Portuguesemusic – fado is very popular and valued there.We can listen to fado in restaurants in theoldest part of city. The centre of Porto is

locatedon granite hill of Penaventosa.

The Porto Cathedral

(Portuguese: Se do Porto) is located in the historical centre of the city of Porto. It is one of the city's oldest monuments and one of the most important Romanesque monuments in Portugal.

The Church and Tower of the Clerics (Igreja dos Clerigos) built in Baroque style are symbols of Porto. (The height of the tower is 75 metres)

Carmo Church (the facade is decorated with azulejos, original Portuguese tiles)

The City of Porto

The River Douro, Porto

The Atlantic Ocean

Welcome to Braga

The region of Braga has been inhabited since pre-historic times. Braga was established in ‘Roman times’ and the name of city was Bracara Augusta. Braga is the main city of subregion Minho. About 173 946 people live there. Braga has many historical monuments.

Braga is the oldest Portuguese city and one of the oldest Christian cities in the world. Braga is the largest city in Portugal after Lisbon and Porto. The urban area extends from the (river) Cavado to the (river) Este.

Cathedral of Braga

(Se de Braga) is the oldest cathedral in Portugal

Braga is the religious capital of Portugal. There are over 30 churches in this city

Bom Jesus do Monte Sanctuary (18th-early 19th century): Neoclassic church with a magnificent Baroque stairway

Old Town of Braga

Povoa de Lanhoso

Povoa de Lanhoso is a village, which we visited thanks to Comenius Programme. It’s a village in Northern Region of Portugal.

Povoa de Lanhoso has many lovely places. There is tourist trail with Roman style buildings. On this trial we could admire a huge tree, which is the second oldest tree in Europe.

On a high mountain (Monte do Pilar) there is located a very old castle and church.

The second oldest tree in Europe

The castle on Monte do Pilar

A park with a monument in the centre

Town Hospital in Povoa de Lanhoso

Our Comenius group over the Atlantic Ocean, Porto

Prepared by Magdalena Dyląg

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