Póvoa de Varzim
Template:Infobox Municipality portugal Póvoa de Varzim (pron. IPA ['pɔvuɐ dɨ vɐɾ'zĩ] local pron.['pɔβuɐ dɨ bɐɾ'ziŋ]; occasionally improperly named Póvoa do Varzim) is a Portuguese city in the Northern Region and sub-region of Greater Porto. It is the northernmost district in the Porto Metropolitan Area (it is about 27 km, about 16 miles, north of that city).
The municipality has a surface area of 82,06 km², and is divided into twelve civil parishes with 63,470 inhabitants 38,848 of whom live in the urban area, with 774.57 inhabitants per square kilometre in both rural and urban areas (2001 census).
It was first mentioned as a Portuguese town in 953 during the time of the first County of Portucal. It received its foral from King Denis in 1308 and, later, a second from King Manuel I in 1514[1]. It increased in size and importance due to the fact it became the main fishing port in northern Portugal in the 18th century[2]. The construction of a railway connecting it to Porto in the end of the 19th century[3] made the city the a tourist centre for Northern Portugal due to its large beaches and its legal gambling areas[2]. It also has prominent textile and food industries.[2]
History
The first groups of shepherds had installed themselves in the coast around the 4th millennium and the beginnings of 2nd millennium B.C. Tumuli, in which the dead were deposited, are the oldest monuments still found in the municipality.[4]
Lootings by rival tribes became widespread, leading the resident populations in the coastal plain of Póvoa de Varzim to raise a town on the top of the mount next to the sea. Thus, Cividade de Terroso emerged, strengthened and developed as one of the main Castro culture towns. [3]
The populace was devoted to farming, fishing, gathering, shepherding and they also crafted metals. At its summit, the city area had an expanse of 120,000 square metres and several hundreds of inhabitants. The Castro maintained commercial relations with the Mediterranean civilizations, specifically during the Carthaginian dominium in Southern Iberian Peninsula.
During the Punic Wars, the Romans became aware of the richness of the Castro region in gold and tin. Viriathus, who led Lusitanian troops, hindered the growth of the Roman Republic north of the river Douro. However, his murder in 138 BC opened the way for the Roman legions. Between this year and 136 BC, Decimus Junius Brutus advanced into the Castro region from the south of the Douro, crushed the Castro armies and took Cividade de Terroso leaving it in ruins.[4]
The region was incorporated into the Roman Empire and totally pacified during the domain of Ceasar Augustus. In the coastal plain, a Roman villa was constructed, property of a Roman family - the Euracini who mixed with the Castro people who returned to life on the plain - Villa Euracini probably developed in this way. The fishing activity also developed with the cetariæ, a Roman method for preserving in brine and treating fish (most notably in garum).
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Suevi populations established themselves in the region. Commencing in the 9th century, Viking fishermen originating from Britanny raised a peaceful colony in Villa Euracini [5] . In the following century, Norman invasions took place throughout North-western Iberia.
On March 26, 953 Villa Euracini is, for the first time, documented as a Portuguese town, in the Book of Countess Mumadona Dias[1]. During the Middle Ages, the name Euracini modified to Uracini → Vracini → Veracini → Verazini → Verazim → Varazim. [6]
The natural wealth of Varazim's coast attracted many aristocrats and nobles to the land. The northern area belonged to a military order, the Knights Hospitaller. It was named Varazim dos Cavaleiros (Knights' Varazim), and some time later, Varazim de Susão. The southern division of Varazim, the royal land (known as reguengo), was important for fishery and agriculture, and because of this, disputes arose over the income brought in by fishing.
Therefore, in 1308, King Denis conceded a charter (known in Portugal as Foral), giving the royal land to the 54 families of Varazim; these had to found a Póvoa. In 1312, King Denis donated the town to his bastard son Afonso Sanches, lord of Albuquerque, who included it in the patrimony of the Convent of Santa Clara, which he had just founded in Vila do Conde[1].
King Manuel I, in the era of charter reform, gave a new charter to Villa da Povoa de Varzim in 1514. The town gained a Town Hall, Public Square and a pillory and it involved itself in the Portuguese conquests and discoveries.
In the 18th century, the brine preservation business developed considerably, resulting in Póvoa being transformed , by a century later, into the biggest fish market in the north of the country, supplying even inland provinces with a battalion of hawkers. As a result the Poveiros became known in the region as the people who most worked and better knew the sea. The community became wealthier; following a royal provision by Queen Mary I, Corregedor Almada reorganized the the layout of town so that it finally became attractive and thus providing a new potential business - sea baths[1].
In the 19th century, the town became popular as a summer destination for the upper classes of the Porto and Minho regions due to its large beaches, and the development of leisure and private gambling businesses[7].
On February 27, 1892, a tragedy devastated the community: 105 fishermen were killed in the middle of a storm, just metres off the shore.
The thriving state of the textile, food and tourist industries, the rail connection to Porto in 1875 and because it became the most popular holiday destinations in Northern Portugal lead to great development between the 1930s and 1960s, meaning that on June 16th 1973, the statute for it to be considered a city was finally passed [8].
In modern times, the centuries-old fishing industry has lost much of its importance. Póvoa de Varzim is essentially a tourist and a service-sector city, but unlike other urban areas of Porto, it is not a dormitory community for commuters. In fact, it developed and grew independently: being one of Northern Portugal's central spots, it gained a cosmopolitan look and serves as a centre for neighbouring towns [7].
Geography
Occupying an area of 8206 hectares, Póvoa de Varzim lies between the Cávado and Ave rivers, or, from a wider perspective, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers on the northern coast of Portugal (also known as Costa Verde). The city is limited to the north by the municipality of Esposende, to the northeast by Barcelos, to the east by Vila Nova de Famalicão, and to the south by Vila do Conde. To the west, it has a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean[3].
Physical geography
The rocky cliffs, common features down from the estuary of Minho River, disappear in Póvoa de Varzim giving way to a coastal plain. The plain originates from an old marine plateau conferring a sandy soil to the lands that cross the coasts of the parishes of Póvoa, A Ver-o-Mar, Navais to Aguçadoura and Estela, and forming sand dunes, mainly in Northern Aguçadoura.[9]
Wandering along the coast one discerns Cape Santo André which is, possibly, the Avarus Promontory referred by Ptolemy, geographer of Ancient Greece, in the territory of the Callaici[9].
The municipality is of 190 meters (623 feet) above sea-level. The peak of Saint Félix (202 meters, 663 feet) and of Cividade (155 m, 509 ft) are easily visible rising above the landscape[9]. Despite the modest rise, the expanse of the plain makes these easy reference points on the horizon. The mountain chain known as Serra de Rates divides the municipality in two distinctive areas: the coastal plain gives way to hills where the forests become more abundant and the soils have less sea influence. In this landscape dominated by the plain and low hills, only the hill of Corga da Soalheira (150 m, 492 ft), in the interior, is easily recognizable[9].
Imprisoned between the sea and the mountain range, the city dominates the coastal plain. In the south, there is urban continuity with Vila do Conde, another city and municipality, establishing itself as the southern limit.
The hydrography of the municipality has no large rivers, but abundant small water courses exist due to the relief of the coastal plain.[4]
Some of these water courses are permanent, such the Este River, which feeds into the Ave River. The Esteiro River's source is at the base of Mount Cividade and it empties at the beach of Aver-o-Mar while the Alto River's source is at the base of Mount São Félix and it reaches the Atlantic at Rio Alto Beach. The land is well irrigated, the appearance of springs and wells are very common, given that, often, underground water is close to the surface.[4]
Climate
The region possesses a local microclimate, being privileged that it is considered the region least subject to frosts in all Northern Portugal due to the winter winds that, normally, blow from South and Southwest.[4]
North winds (known as Nortadas) arise, typically, in the summer after midday[4] and like the summer fogs, these refresh the air and are characteristic of Póvoa - a climate that is classified as maritime temperate. The municipality has gentle summers and mild winters, with average temperatures oscillating between 12.5 and 15 degrees Celsius[4]. The annual precipitation varies between 1200 and 1400 mm[4].
Environment
The forest areas suffer from strong demographic pressure and intensive agriculture. Forests are still important in parishes surrounded by the Serra de Rates, whose flora is distinguished by the Pedunculate Oak or the European Holly. In 18th century, the monks of Tibães planted pinewood, which today characterizes the civil parish of Estela. In the past the Atlantic forest predominated, with trees from medium to great size, such as oaks, ash trees, hazels, strawberry trees, holm oak, and alders[4].
The rocks throughout the entire coastline are the true fisheries of clams, fish and seaweed. These rocks and the dunes are ecosystems that possess an important ecological wealth, but are threatened by holiday-makers, dune-based sports and coastal constructions.
Póvoa de Varzim and other cities of the Greater Porto area have a strategical environment plan for Greater Porto - the Futuro Sustentável ("Sustainable Future") - which plans to understand the problems, and to create solutions and new environmental projects for Greater Porto that meet the desires of its citizens.
Beyond the urban areas, the City Park (800 thousand m2) will be extended from the A28 motorway and Pedreira Lagoon will have densely forested areas, open spaces, hills, a new lake and sports area. There's also the Anjo’s Urban Green, of environmental importance to the city - given that it is a native forest area with pedunculate oaks.
Urban area
The city of the Póvoa de Varzim is constituted by eleven Partes or Bairros (districts), which are significant areas of the city and have population and topological differences. These are located in three of the twelve civil parishes: Póvoa de Varzim (parish), A Ver-o-Mar, and Argivai.
The city started from an inland town that extended to the coast. The Matriz neighbourhood was a significant settlement in 14th century, whose nucleus was the centre from whence the city grew and is the historical district of the city, being a neighbourhood composed by old single family homes[7].
Bairro Sul (South Quarter) grew from the population of fishermen that came from Matriz neighbourhood and its structure of streets parallel to the coast with fishermen's houses - "beehive of the fishermen" – was already reasonably developed in the 18th century[7].
Bairro Norte (North Quarter) developed at the beginning of the 20th century with streets parallel to the sea, resembling Bairro Sul. It became a beach resort and became very urbanized (the most populous area with high buildings)[7]. This neighbourhood has triggered the development of neighbouring areas, such as Agro-Velho, Barreiros, and Parque da Cidade.
Mariadeira, Regufe, Penalves, and Gândara are old areas[10], with only modest development, possessing different topologies and of almost exclusively residential nature with small central areas. The current central district (Centro) has the opposite character to the previous ones, namely Junqueira that became in a commercial district[7].
The Belém Quarter (Giesteira), which maintains a rural facet in the interior of the city, originated from the old village of Giesteira that along with Argivai constituted the main nucleus of the settlement before the 14th century, whose lavradores (farmers) had helped in the installation of "póvoa" in the coast.
Aver-o-Mar developed a distinctive character due to agricultural and fishery, forming a genuine community of pescadores-lavradores (fishing-farmers). With the exception of Santo André in the northern zone, which keeps an unchanged fishing identity identified by family homes that have grown up in a spontaneous way, the rest of the area has developed as a result of the urbanization of Bairro Norte.
The neighbourhoods have greater importance for the inhabitants during the Rusgas in which the six traditional neighbourhoods (Belém, Mariadeira, Matriz, Norte, Regufe, and Sul) compete between themselves on the night of Saint Peter, part of the city’s festivals.
Rural area
The rural area of Póvoa de Varzim is the group of civil parishes known as Aguçadoura, Amorim, Balasar, Beiriz, Estela, Laundos, Navais, Rates, and Terroso. In these rural parishes, beyond the main rural communities, there are smaller villages, namely: Além, Fontaínhas, Gandra, Gestrins, Gresufes, Sejães, and Teso.
The parishes of Beiriz and Amorim are areas of transition between the urban and rural environment given that these are close to the city. Beiriz is recognized by its Beiriz carpets and Amorim is popular in the city for its bread, characteristically eaten at high temperatures just after being made – the Broa de Amorim.
In the extensive sandy beaches of the north of the municipality, there are the parishes of the Aguçadoura, Estela, and Navais. The first two have common aspects, such as beach based agriculture: the masseiras fields.
Aguçadoura has productive land, and is a supplier of horticultural goods. Estela is amongst the most dynamic areas, at a tourist level, in the municipality, in particular the area known as Rio Alto.
Widely known in Navais is the Fountain of the Enchanted Moorish Girl (or Fountain of Crasto) situated on the east of the EN13 road, whose water was used, long ago, to celebrate masses. The people attribute legends and magical virtues to it, believing gold oxens or witches combing their hair appear there during the night.
In the parishes of Laundos and Terroso there are the peaks of Póvoa - São Félix and Cividade. During the Middle Ages, Saint Félix (the hermit) would have lived and meditated on the first; on the second there is one of the main cities of the Castro culture, Cividade de Terroso.
Rates is a historic small town that developed around the monastery established by Henry of Burgundy in 1100 on the site of an older temple and gained importance due to the legend of Saint Peter of Rates, first bishop of Braga, becoming in a central place in the Portuguese Way of Saint James.
The parish of Balasar gained religious importance in the 20th century due to Alexandrina (died 1955) who gained fame as a saint, beatified by Pope John Paul II.
Economy
In 2001 the population working in the primary sector, industries and other similar activities made up almost 39% of the population, while 46% of the population (plus 27% in related activities) worked in civil construction, commerce, restaurants, hotels and other services. The unemployment rate of Póvoa de Varzim was 5.2% in the first quarter of 2005. Meanwhile, the activity rate had grown from 48% to 51.1% from 1991 to 2001. [7]
Industry is still an important employer, mostly in the textile industry that has low productivity and income. These industries are located in Beiriz, Balasar, and Rates. Other employers include the blanket handicraft industry of Terroso and Laundos, and rope making. Wood industries are centred in Rates. One of the thriving initiatives of the municipality is the Parque Industrial de Laundos (Industrial Park of Laundos) that is in close proximity and linked to the A28 Motorway[11].
Coastal economy
The fact that it is a seaside city has shaped Póvoa de Varzim's economy: the fishing industry, from the fishing vessels that put in each day to the canning industry, beach agriculture, weed-gathering for fertilizing fields, and tourism are the result of its geography. Tourism and the related industries, namely the casino and hotels, are more important in Póvoa's economy these days, as fisheries have lost importance, even as the employment level has stabilised.
Energy self-sustainability is foreseen with the installation of the first world-wide wave energy plant, the Okeanós. This park, consisting of three Palamis machines, is being installed north of the city[12]. In the first phase (2006), the park will produce 2.25 megawatts, enough energy for 1500 houses. In 2008, it is expected that the Okeanós will become a true plant consisting of 28 machines capable to produce 24 mW, supplying 250 thousand inhabitants, 10% of that energy, (capable of supplying one third of the population of municipality) will be assigned to the city[13].
Agriculture and cattle
Despite being a small municipality, Póvoa de Varzim is one of the major food suppliers of Greater Porto.
Póvoa de Varzim is part of the Vinho Verde region, an ancient winemaking region, whose wines are praised both nationally and internationally. The agriculture, specialized in horticultural goods, in both parts of the municipality, coastal plain and hills, is shaped by local conditions and thus is significantly varied. The interior region possesses marked Minho farming characteristics, while the coastal populations developed the masseiras, a native farming practice based in the sand dunes, adapted to the soil and strong maritime influence.
Masseira is a unique farming practice that is in danger of extinction[9]. These are large rectangular diggings in the outsized and sandy beaches of the region. In the diggings' sides vineyards are cultivated, in order to protect the central area from the North Winds; the grapes are matured by the heat of the sand thus producing good wine. In the central part everything can be cultivated, but large amounts of water and Sargasso must be added.
Cattle are important in the parishes of Rates Mountains for the production of milk and meat. The Enterprise Centre of Agros (part of Lactogal) is under construction near the intersection of the A28 and A7 motorways. This will be the future headquarters of the company and will have several departments such as exhibition park and laboratories, thus becoming the largest agricultural project in the North of Portugal[14]. The LEICAR, Association of Milk and Meat producers have headquarters in Rates, the rural centre of the municipality.
Transportation and communications
The city of Póvoa de Varzim is served by a developed transportation network that employs maritime, aerial and terrestrial travel. The terrestrial access infrastructure is composed of national motorways (freeways), the national roads system, and metro trains. These infrastructures and the airport, bus terminal, marina and harbour are used daily by thousands of people to travel to the city.
The city of Póvoa de Varzim is served by two motorways: The A28 (Valença-Porto Motorway) which links the city to other seaside cities in Portugal, and the A7 (Póvoa de Varzim-Vila Pouca de Aguiar Motorway) which links it to countryside cities and towns.
The International Airport Sá Carneiro is located at 15 km south of the city. It is the second biggest international airport in Portugal and serves all Greater Porto. The Póvoa de Varzim Bus Central is a terminus for urban and long distance buses also used as an entrance for travellers arriving from national cities (especially from the Minho region), but also from other European cities. The Line B of Porto Metro links Póvoa de Varzim to Porto with two services, a standard and a shuttle (the Expresso)[15].
The traditional road system of the city, composed of roads that run parallel in the direction of the sea, can be seen in any of the following avenues: Avenida do Mar, Avenida Vasco da Gama, Avenida Mouzinho de Albuquerque, and Avenida Santos Graça. The Avenida dos Descobrimentos and Avenida dos Banhos, in other hand, run parallel to the coast. The growth of the city inland and northwards made the ring organisation of roads more important, this can be seen in the setup of the B way, a belt road throughout the inner part of the city, and the C way (belt road throughout the outer part).
Although it lost usefulness for average and long distances, the National Roads system has acquired municipal interest: EN13 that cuts the city in half in a North-South direction, is used by commuters originating from the Northern parishes and from the city of Vila do Conde, in the South, to travel downtown. The EN205 and the EN206 are used by commuters starting from the interior of the municipality.[7]
Government
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| Civil parishes of Póvoa de Varzim | |
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The city of Póvoa de Varzim is governed by a Câmara Municipal (City hall, literally Municipal Chamber) composed of nine councilmen. A Municipal Assembly exists and it is the legislative body of the municipality, consisting of 39 members, twelve of which are presidents of civil parishes. After the 2005 municipal elections, six councilmen are members of the Partido Social Democrata (PSD) and the three remaining of the Partido Socialista (PS). The mayor is Macedo Vieira, for the PSD, elected with 54.21% of the votes[16]. The PSD holds the majority of public offices both in the Municipal Assembly and in the civil parishes.
After the first free elections at the end of the Estado Novo period, during which only right-wing parties governed the city, city hall was governed by the CDS between 1976 and 1989 and since then by the PSD. The CDS saw its popularity suffer an abrupt decline in 1997, and has since then been the third political party. On the other hand, the PSD in the same year achieved its first absolute majority with 62.4% of the votes.
Between 1308 and 1836, the municipality was made up of a single parish territory of which, over time, approached the medieval borders[10]. With the administrative reform of the territory in 1836 Póvoa started to definitively control the territories: the council of Rates was annexed, the lands of Argivai recouped, and acquired another parishes.[3]
Despite being enclosed in the Porto Metropolitan Area, Póvoa de Varzim also is part of the Association of Vale do Ave Municipalities. Within the context of the European Union, Póvoa de Varzim is twinned, since 1986, with the city of Montgeron in France with which it has a very close relation, and due to this, it received two twin cities golden stars from the European Commission (1995 and 2005) and it also has friendship agreements with Eschborn in Germany (since 2000) and Zabbar in Malta (since 2001).[17]
Society
A native of Póvoa de Varzim is called, in Portuguese, Poveiro. Many residents consider inconvenient to call to their city Póvoa "do" Varzim, which is common in the national press.
In 2005, in a study published by the Expresso newspaper, Póvoa de Varzim was considered as the seventh most developed among the Portuguese municipalities, and as the most developed in Porto district. At national level, the city was seen as the first one in social development (index of 0.98); second in the distribution of recycling bins (26 for 1000 inhabitants); third in birth rate (13.5 for 1000 inhabitants); fourth in the Aging index (64.4) and occupies the fifth place in the number of doctors per inhabitant (3.4 for 1000 inhabitants) and in the unemployment rate (6.2%). The newspaper Primeiro de Janeiro honoured Póvoa, in the same occasion, as the "city of future" of Douro Litoral (Porto district) in fields such environment, cultural heritage, music, sport and literary events.
Demography
As of 2004, there were 65452 inhabitants in the whole of Póvoa de Varzim. According to the 2001 Census, there were 63470 inhabitants that year, 61.2% of which lived in the city (composed of three civil parishes). In comparison to 1991, the urban population had grown 23%, with the number of families increasing considerably - by about 44.5%.
| Population of the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim (1801 – 2004) | |
|---|---|
| 1801 | 4676 |
| 1849 | 15300 |
| 1900 | 24527 |
| 1930 | 28780 |
| 1960 | 40444 |
| 1981 | 54248 |
| 1991 | 54788 |
| 2001 | 63470 |
| 2004 | 65452 |
However, about 50,000 people live in the same area of the municipality, in the city and adjacent rural areas. The number goes up to 100,000 when all areas are taken into account. During the summer the resident population in the city doubles, this seasonal movement from neighbouring cities is due to the draw of the beach.
According to the Urbanization Plan, the city will have a population of 46,170 inhabitants in 2011, representing an increase of almost 19%. The population will continue to be predominantly young (17.5%), though there will have been a shift upwards, given that the aged population will grow to 14.2%. The population of the entire municipality grew only 1% between 1981 and 1991, increasing to 15.3% between 1991 and 2001.
Due to practice of endogamy and the caste system, Póvoa's fishermen community kept local ethnicity characteristics; such that, at the beginning of 20th century, anthropologists had classified the local population as being a Semitic-Norman community, that is, composed of descendants of Phoenicians and Vikings.
In a research published in "O poveiro" in 1908, Fonseca Cardoso considered that a dolichocephalous anthropologic element, that of the aquiline nose, was of Semitic-Phoenician origin[18]. Anthropological and cultural data also indicate Nordic fishermen settling during the period of the coast's resettling.
Due to that caste system that lasted until the 20th century, the population, itself, remained heterogeneous for centuries: the man of the coastal area was devoted to fishery, red-haired and well-built; the man from the interior was a farmer with Galician character (typical Northern Portuguese). However, this caste system ended due to urban growth and the population is now becoming homogeneous.
The first settlers were the Castro people (of mixed Celtic and pre-Celtic origin) that maintained commercial relations, especially, with the Phoenicians/ Carthaginians, but came into contact with the Romans after the annexation of the region for the Roman Republic. With the fall of the empire some other peoples had arrived, of which the Suebi and the Vikings were the most important settlers.
Póvoa de Varzim has supplied populations to other places from the time of the Reconquista until recently. This migratory feature attenuated the population growth. On the other hand, during the emigration period of the 20th century, many Brasileiros (Portuguese emigrants to Brazil) returned to their native land. And, nowadays, the migratory flow is reversed; there is a growing community of Ukrainians, Brazilians (nationals), Chinese and Russians. However, movement of people from neighbouring municipalities match these increases (with more advantages due to National government policies), and which the city now tries to attract.
Education
Póvoa de Varzim has public, denominational and independent schools in the city and rural areas. The majority of the schools offering basic education (from primary to tertiary level) and jardins-de-infância (kindergartens) are arranged in four vertical groupings: Flávio Gonçalves, Cego do Maio, Campo Aberto, and Aver-O-Mar. These groupings arrange the schools of different locales of the municipality and are headed by EB 2/3 schools that give the name to the respective groupings[19]. In terms of independent schools the most distinguished are the Grande Colégio da Póvoa de Varzim in the urban area and Campo Verde School of Agriculture.
Secondary education in Póvoa de Varzim was introduced in 1882 to respond to the needs of a community that prospered due to fishery and tourist industries. Thus the Municipal Institute with key skills in Portuguese, French, Latin, Geometry, History, and Complementary Primary Instruction was created. The Municipal Institute became the genesis of the National Lyceum created in 1904, now the Eça de Queirós Secundary School, that keeps its humanist outlook.
In 1892, the formation of the Trade association led to the immediate creation of mercantile and commercial accounting classes that would be genesis of the Rocha Peixoto Commercial School (created in 1924), that in 1940 was renamed Industrial and Commercial School, and is now Rocha Peixoto Secondary School, a school that still promises to turn out skilled professionals.
The Porto Polytechnic runs, jointly in Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, the Superior School of Industrial Studies and Management (ESEIG), which once was based in two campuses (one in each city), but it was united in a single new school, on the border between the two cities.
The illiteracy level in Póvoa de Varzim reduced between 1991 and 2001 from 7 to 5.9 percent. A little more than one quarter of the population now has intermidiate or superior level qualifications.
Arts
Póvoa de Varzim is strongly associated with Portuguese literature. It was the city where Eça de Queirós, one of the principal writers in the Portuguese language was born, and where José Régio passed his free time writing, mostly in Passeio Alegre's Diana Bar, a writers meeting place that, nowadays, is converted into a beach library during the summer. Other writers connected with the city are Camilo Castelo Branco, Agustina Bessa-Luís, Almeida Garrett, and António Nobre.
The city also organizes international meetings, one of which is the Correntes d'Escritas between writers from countries where Iberian languages are spoken, specifically from Portugal, Brazil, Spain, Lusophone Africa and Hispanic America. Another erudite event of the city is the International Music Festival of Póvoa de Varzim, that, in 2006, commemorates its 28th year.
The Filantrópica, created in 1935, has as its purpose the execution of cultural activities, inducement to artistic creation, and aid in the integration of Eastern European immigrants (represented by free classes in Portuguese). The Varazim Teatro is a cultural and youth group of amateur theatre that has encouraged local drama.
The Rocha Peixoto Municipal Library, established in 1880, on the 300th anniversary of the death of Luís de Camões received in 1913, as an inheritance, the private library of the Poveiro scientist Rocha Peixoto and, after some relocation, was finally housed in the current building in 1991.
The Ethnography and History Municipal Museum of Póvoa de Varzim was established in 1937 by António Dos Santos Graça in order to preserve the Poveiro’s practices and traditions that were being lost without record or research. Two themed museums also exist: the Museum Nucleus of the Romanesque Church of Saint Peter of Rates which is dedicated to the dissemination of the history, legend and art surrounding the Romanesque Church of Saint Peter of Rates and the Archaeological Nucleus of the Cividade de Terroso, which serves as a presentation of the Cividade de Terroso.
The Municipal Archive and the Municipal Auditory of Póvoa de Varzim had been created more recently and is where the School of Music of Póvoa de Varzim and the Octopus Film club with exhibitions of quality cinema coexist.
Leisure
The Beaches of Póvoa de Varzim have raised the city's profile in the North and are responsible for the development of leisure activities in the city. These are extensive beaches of white sand, with water that does not dip below the 18 degrees Celsius mark; while being rich in marine life and iodine. The beaches of the city from Redonda Beach to Quião Beach are very popular, and from Santo André Beach and beyond the environment is calmer. The Aguçadoura Beach and Rio Alto Beach are dune beaches, the latter, given its difficult access (only by foot through other beaches) and the privacy offered by the sand dunes, is frequently chosen by naturalists, even though it is not official. Several beaches are divided by rocks, and between the Salgueira Beach and Lagoa Beach there are ruins.
The Casino of Póvoa, installed in a 1930's building of neoclassical style, is a central gaming and entertainment location in the North where gambling and shows take place throughout the year.
Close to the casino, the Passeio Alegre is used by many locals and visitors to take a walk along the beaches of the city. It is also a popular nightlife area during the summer and weekends. Younger poveiros meet at the night in the bars near Passeio Alegre, mostly in Passeio Alegre Plaza (Largo do Passeio Alegre), but also in the Carvalhido and Lota, before going on to the discotheques Hit Bar and Buddha Bar (located in the two extremities of Passeio Alegre) very late at night, around 1-2 A.M.
In the Centro zone, there is Junqueira - the main shopping neighbourhood of the city, whose central street has been solely pedestrian since 1955. It is rich in 19th century and early 20th century buildings. Some of the nearby streets have also become pedestrian recently. This busy street is renowned, nationwide, for its jewellery.
Due to the fact it is a beach resort and gambling area, Póvoa de Varzim possesses a great diversity of hotels, some of which include the Grand Hotel (Mercure Hotel), built in the 1930's, neighbour of the casino; and the inns installed in the Santo Andre Beach, on the top of the São Félix hill and near the golf course.
A great number of restaurants are located for some kilometres along the National Road Number 13 that crosses the interior of the city, especially in the northern section. Many of them are well known and reputed to have the best grilled chicken, the best seafood, the best francesinha, the best bacalhau or even the sexiest waiters of the region; all schemes to attract customers.
Just out of the city, two other leisure areas exist: São Félix hill, that possesses mills converted into tourist accomodation with panoramic views over the city, a staircase and even a small Castro village; and Rio Alto - a leisure area in the north of the city, with a camping park within a pine tree forest, masseira farm fields, and a golf course in the sand dunes of Rio Alto Beach.
Sports
The city has developed a number of sporting venues and because of that it has hosted several national, European and world championships in different sports.
The marina near the seaport offers several sport activities developed by the Clube Naval Povoense, especially sailing, sport fishing, and surfing. The Marina of Póvoa is a modern marina located at 41°22′N 08°46′W / 41.367°N 8.767°W Long., making it a stop for boats that are exploring the west Iberian coast. It is located in a sheltered area and provides facilities with boatyard services. In the marina, traditional fishing is still practiced. The depth is from 1.60 to 3.00 metres. There are also nautical sports activities and clubs.
The two swimming pool complexes, including an Olympic pool, and the tennis court were in recently renovated and they are situated near the beach in the northern part of the city. Póvoa also offers a golf course and a Greyhound racing area in Estela, a shooting camping site in Rates that is considered one of the best in Portugal and in Europe, with great prestige among nationals. Near the beach and the pools, there is the only active bullfighting arena in Northern Portugal, the Monumental Praça de Touros da Póvoa de Varzim. Today, the number of events are limited; the most important occurs in late July, with the "Grande Corrida TV Norte" (Northern TV's Great Run),an event that follows the bullfighting Portuguese tradition, which is a type of bloodless and skilful bullfighting. An harmless and fun bullfight with young bulls and students occurs in the beginning of May as part of Porto's student festivities - the "Queima das Fitas".
Varzim Sport Club is the football club of the city that today plays in the second division, but several times it has reached the premier league of Portugal. Varzim has its own stadium near the beach in the northern area of the city were other sport venues are located.
In the interior of the city is the Municipal Sports Pavilion, which is used for several indoor sports and the new City Park Stadium (Estádio Municipal) which is used for football and athletics are the most recent structures added to the list.
Health and security
The first healthcare structure, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Póvoa de Varzim (Holy House of Mercy), opened in 1756. The two hospitals of the city are the Hospital Centre of Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde (state-run) and HOSPOR Clipóvoa (private). The public hospital suffers from lack of quality bed spaces. Due to this, there is an on-going plan to build a modern hospital to serve the population of both municipalities, which will be located on the border between the two cities. The Centro de Saúde da Póvoa de Varzim (Health Centre) is a public primary care building that has extensions in the main parishes.
Policing in Póvoa de Varzim is provided by the Municipal Police of Póvoa de Varzim, the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) and the Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP). The Municipal Police of Póvoa de Varzim, one of the first to be established in the country, is an administrative police force that acts solely within the municipality and reports directly to the President of the City Hall.
The Practical School of Services, just east of the city by the A28 motorway, is the national headquarters for military administration instruction, with the Battalion of Military Administration, and, due to the reorganization of Army services, the former Practical School of Military Administration, from 2006 onwards will also have the material and transport services, thus increasing its range of functions and troop numbers.
In terms of crime, Póvoa de Varzim is considered by the PSP as a "calm" zone in all categories of offense;in particular violent crime is practically non-existent. Mostly crime consists of minor robberies of homes, stores, or from cars.
Media
Póvoa de Varzim has three local newspapers, all weeklies: "Póvoa Semanário", "Voz da Póvoa", and "O Comércio da Póvoa de Varzim". Póvoa Semanário and A Voz da Póvoa compete between themselves and are devoted, exclusively, to local news and both have internet editions.
The city also possesses two radio stations, both broadcasting on FM: "Rádio Mar" (89.0) and "Radio Onda Viva" (96.1). Both the stations also broadcast online. Radio Onda Viva airs Mandarin Chinese programming at a daily basis for the local Chinese community.
The newspaper "Póvoa Semanário" and the radio station "Rádio Mar" belong to the same group, and the same company offer news services to the neighbouring cities of Vila do Conde and Esposende.
Culture
Poveiro culture is the result of what is found in the Minho Region influenced by the local fishery habits, protected and shaped by the isolation of the town, different peoples and local factors over the course of generations.
The docudrama film Ala-Arriba! by José Leitão de Barros, popularized this unique Portuguese fishing community within the country during the 1940s, and today it represents an important documentary of the city's history. The expression Ala-Arriba means "(upwards) strength" and it represents the co-operation between the inhabitants and is also the motto of Póvoa de Varzim.
Traditions
In Póvoa's tradition (that persists to the present day), the heir of the family is the youngest son (as in old Brittany and Denmark)[5]. The younger son is the heir because it was expected that he would take care of his parents when they became old. Also, unlike the rest of the nation, it is the woman who governs and leads the family – this matriarchy is derived from the fact that the man was usually fishing on the sea and probably derives from ancient local habits.
Formerly the population was divided into different "castes": The Lanchões (those who possessed boats that were capable of deep-water fishing, and thus more prosperous), the Sardinheiros (those who possessed small boats and could only catch fish of smaller size along the shore) and the Lavradores (the farmers). As a rule, the three castes remained distinct, and mixed marriages between the different castes were forbidden, mostly because of the isolationism of the fishermen who were headed by a group of patriarchs. With the urban development at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, this caste structure is today only part of the past.
Due to modern national influences some local traditions started to be lost, and the local culture became more similar to the rest of the nation: the traditional casamento poveiro, in which the newly-wed couple was covered by a fisherman's net and watered with vinho verde in order to bring fortune to the marriage, is becoming a forgotten practice. The lancha poveira, which was formerly common around the beaches of Póvoa was gone by the 1950s: today there is just one boat.
Writing system
Siglas Poveiras are a form of 'proto-writing system'; these were used as a rudimentary visual communication system, and are a result of Viking settlers that brought the writing system known as bomärken from Scandinavia about one thousand years ago. The siglas are used as a family "Coat of Arms" or signature to sign belongings.
The siglas were also used to remember things such as marriages, trips, or debts. Thus these were widely used chiefly because many residents did not knew how to use the Latin alphabet, thus these “runes” were widely employed. Merchants used it in their books of credit, and these were read and recognized as we today read and recognize names written in Latin alphabet. These are still used, though much less commonly, by some fishing families.
The basic marks were a very restricted number of symbols from which most Siglas derive. These included the arpão, the colhorda, the lanchinha, the pique (including the grade, composed of four crossed piques), and many of these symbols were very similar to those found in Northern Europe, and generally had magical-religious connotations when painted on boats.
Children were given the same family mark with additions, the pique. Thus, the older son would have one pique, the next would have two, and so on. The youngest son would not have any pique, inheriting the same symbol as his father.
Handicrafts
The Camisolas Poveiras are local pullovers made for celebration and decorative purposes, initially used by the fishermen to protect them from the cold. These have fishery motifs and siglas poveiras. The pullovers have just three colours: white, black and red, with the name embroidered in sigla and more recent examples also carry the name in the Latin alphabet. The pullovers were once a local dress until 1892, when a sea misfortune led the community to stop wearing it. It became popular once again at the end of the 1970s. Today, there are some efforts to modernize it on one hand and on the other there are endeavours to preserve the long-established practices.
Other typical handicrafts are the Tapetes de Beiriz (Beiriz carpets) of the parish of Beiriz. These are distinctive carpets recognized and demanded nationally and internationally.
Gastronomy
The local gastronomy results from the fusing of the Minho and fishing cookery. The most traditional ingredients of the local cuisine are locally-grown vegetables, such as collard greens, cabbage, turnip broccoli, potato, onion, tomato, and a wide variety of fish. The fish used to create the traditional dishes are divided in two categories, the "poor" fish (sardine, ray, mackerel, whiskered sole, and others) and the "wealthy" fish (such as whiting, snook, Merlangius merlangus whiting, and alfonsino).
The most famous local dish is Pescada à Poveira (Poveira Whiting), whose main ingredients are, with the fish that gives the name to the dish, potatoes, eggs and a boiled onion and tomato sauce (molho fervido); this dish can be consumed in the ordinary way or, before introducing the sauce, lightly crushing and mixing the ingredients with the fork and knife. This dish also often includes collard greens or turnip broccoli which are not crushed. Other fishery dishes include the Arroz de Sardinha (sardine rice), Caldeirada de Peixe (fish caldeirada), Lulas Recheadas à Poveiro (Poveiro stuffed squids), Arroz de Marisco (seafood rice) and Lagosta Suada (steamed lobster). Mussels, limpets, cockles and periwinkles are cooked in the shell and served as a snack. Iscas, pataniscas and bolinhos de Bacalhau are boiled cod snacks and also popular.
Other dishes include Feijoada Poveira, made with white beans, chouriça and other meats and served with dry rice (arroz seco); and Francesinha Poveira made in long bread that first appeared in 1962 as fast food for holidaymakers.
Festivals and pilgrimages
There are several religious or popular celebrations (the Festa), pilgrimages (romarias) and processions (procissão) in the municipality. Most of these festivals occur around the Holy week or during the summer.
The city's municipal holiday is June 29, Saint Peter's day (Dia de São Pedro), the fisherman saint and the patron saint of the city. Around this date, the neighbourhood windows and streets are decorated; and, on the night of 28th to 29th the population gets together in celebration, dancing and eating by the light of fires. The traditional neighbourhoods compete in the "rusgas" (a sort of carnival) and the creation of thrones to Saint Peter. This festival is very important and rivals Christmas and Easter as the event of the year. [20]
These days, the population behaves much like football supporters, and occasionally there are some disturbances when fans defend their preferred neighbourhood; but the competition is usually very healthy. Families, having previously emigrated to the United States and beyond, have been known to come back to Povoa, time and again, simply to relish the spectacular feelings of excitement and community present at this festival.
On August 15 there is the Feast of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Assumption of Mary Day), devotion of Póvoa's fishermen. The climax of the procession occurs in front of the seaport, where fireworks are launched from meticulously arranged boats.
São Félix hill is a reference point for fishermen at sea. Thus, on the last Sunday of May, the Pilgrimage of Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Health) covers a distance of 7 kilometres (4.25 mi) between the Igreja Matriz of Póvoa de Varzim and the Nossa Senhora da Saúde Chapel, at the foot of São Félix.
Near Cape Santo André, there is a rocky formation known as Penedo do Santo (Saint's Rock), which has a mark that the Poveiro fishermen believe to be a footprint of Saint Andrew (Santo André). They still believe that this saint is the Boatman of Souls and that he frees the souls of those whom drown in the sea, fishing them from the depths of the ocean after a shipwreck. The celebration of Saint Andrew occurs on the dawn of the last day of November, when groups of men and women, wearing black hoods and holding lamps, go to the chapel via the beach.
Easter Monday is 'understood' to be the second "municipal holiday". The populace works on Good Friday (national holiday) to have Monday free to picnic. The local companies follow this tradition and are open on Friday and closed on Monday. In general, the picnic is held in the green area of Argivai, but many travel to other places.
Fairs
In the last fortnight of September, during the Senhora das Dores festival there is the century-old Senhora das Dores Pottery Fair, with many different tents, installed in the plaza near the Senhora das Dores Church, which sell diverse wares of special traditional Portuguese pottery. These feasts have roots in 1768, year when an icon of Mary was placed in the old Chapel of Senhor do Monte. The followers of the sect originated the annual party, procession and fair[21].
The HortiPóvoa - the horticultural Fair of Póvoa de Varzim takes place during the summer in Aguçadoura. Every week, on Sundays, there is the Estela Fair, which is a market dedicated to trade of vegetables. Recently, other annual fairs had been established: the Milk Agricultural Fair in São Pedro de Rates, with regional products, such as dairy products, sweets, honey, cured meats, wines and olive oil; the Horse Fair in Terroso where, besides trading, it is possible to attend horse shows.
Still, there are other weekly fairs: the Moninhas fair (Monday) and Aver-o-Mar fair (Sunday morning), and also the Antiques Fair, in Praça do Almada, that occurs every second Sunday of the month.
Architecture
- Nossa Senhora da Conceição Fortress (mostly known as castelo), built in the reigns of Peter II and John V (between 1701 and 1740) to defend the town from pirate attacks.
- City hall, building of neoclassical style, influenced by the English colony of Porto, conceived in 1790 to lodge the City council of Póvoa de Varzim. In the same square the Coreto of Póvoa de Varzim is located.
- Solar dos Carneiros (museum) – An 18th century nobleman's building that became a museum in 1937, where one can visit and get to know the Poveiros that lived in the past. Near the museum there is the Municipal Archive (Arquivo Municipal).
- Churches:, emphasizing the 17th century's baroque Matriz Church with its rich rococo altarpiece, filled with siglas poveiras, the 17th century's and fishermen's Lapa Church, with its old lighthouse that was once a link between the church and the fishermen in the sea, the 18th century Senhora das Dores church with the pains of Mary sculptures in several chapels; the one thousand year old Romanesque Church (national monument) located in the small historic town of São Pedro de Rates; and the Balasar church with the cadaver of the Little Saint of Balasar in the village of Balasar.
- Cividade de Terroso, a pre-historic castro town at 153 metres (502 feet) inhabited for one thousand years before its fall during the Roman rule. Archaeologists from Northern Portugal and Galicia (Northern Spain) are preparing a joint submission to UNESCO in order to classify the Cividade de Terroso as a World Heritage site.
- Castros: beyond the main Castro settlement, three of Cividade de Terroso’s surrounding castros existed: Castro de Laundos, Castro de Navais, and Castro de Argivai.
- Aqueducts: Aqueduct of Santa Clara (national monument), raised between 1626 and 1714, was composed of 999 archs taking the waters from the spring of Terroso for the convent of Santa Clara in Vila do Conde, and remaining portions of the Aqueduct of Coelheiro (18th century) an aqueduct that formerly supplied Praça do Almada.
- Fountains: Of several sources, some ancestral fountains gain relevance due the fact that the population attribute legends and miraculous or therapeutic effects to them: the two Fountains of Saint Peter of Rates (in Balasar and Rates) and the Fountain of the Enchanted Mourish Girl, in Navais.
- Pillories: The manueline pillory of Póvoa de Varzim constructed in 1514 is a national monument and the pillory of Rates also from the 16th century is a listed property of Public Interest.
- Sculptures: Among some monuments the most distinguished are Cego do Maio (local hero, by Poveiros of Brazil in 1909), Eça de Queiroz (the most notable among the Poveiros, by Poveiros of Brazil in 1952), Cruzeiro da Independência (800 years of the independence of Portugal, by the National Body of Scouts in 1940), Millennium Mark (commemorates 1000 years — from 26th March 953 — of the recorded existence of Póvoa de Varzim), To Poveiro peoples (by the Rotary Club of the Póvoa de Varzim in 1995, it honours the unity of the municipality and the difference between the fishermen of the coast and the inland farmer), Saint Peter (patron saint,a museum sculpture, bronzed and inaugurated on the night of Saint Peter in 1996), To the Fisherwoman/ Poveira Woman (1997, honours the central role of the woman in the daily life of the community).
Famous people
- Saint Peter of Rates(? - 60) catholic saint; first bishop of Braga (mythical).
- Saint Félix (the eremite) (9th century) fisherman and local saint (mythical).
- Tomé de Sousa (1503 - 1579) first general-governor of Brazil.
- Cego do Maio (1817 - 1884) local hero and fisherman.
- Eça de Queirós (1845 – 1900) very famous and influential novelist.
- Rocha Peixoto (1866 - 1909) naturalist and ethnologist.
- David Alves (1866 - 1924) polititian.
- António dos Santos Graça (1882 - 1956) ethnologist.
- Monsignour Lopes da Cruz (1899 - 1969) founder of Rádio Renascença, the Portuguese catholic radio.
- Blessed Alexandrina de Balasar (1904 - 1955), was referred to be a saint even while still living.
- Diogo Freitas do Amaral (n. 1941) politician, founder of the CDS party, prime-minister and minister of several governments. Presently the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
- Tavares Moreira (n. 1944) economist and former president of the Bank of Portugal.
References
- ^ a b c d Póvoa de Varzim — Portal da Câmara Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ a b c Grande Enciclopédia Universal article: "Póvoa de Varzim", vol. 16, p. 10683-10684, Durclub, 2004
- ^ a b c d História — Portal da Câmara Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Flores Gomes, José Manuel & Carneiro, Deolinda: Subtus Montis Terroso - Património Arqueológico no Concelho da Póvoa de Varzim. CMPV, 2005
- ^ a b Barco Poveiro Celtiberia.net
- ^ Barbosa, Viriato - A Póvoa de Varzim, 2.ª edição, Póvoa de Varzim, 1972
- ^ a b c d e f g h Relatório do Plano de Urbanização da Póvoa de Varzim — CMPV, Departamento de Gestão Urbanística e Ambiente
- ^ Dia da Cidade — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ a b c d e Póvoa de Varzim, Um Pé na Terra, Outro no Mar
- ^ a b Amorim, Manuel: A Póvoa Antiga Na Linha do horizonte - Biblioteca Poveira CMPV, 2003
- ^ Parque Industrial de Laundos — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ Apresentação do Parque da Aguçadoura — Ocean Power Delivery Portugal S.A.
- ^ Ondas vão dar energia a um terço do concelho — Jornal de Notícias
- ^ Agros investirá 40 ME em Centro Empresarial que Ficará Concluído em 2008 — Agros
- ^ A Linha Vermelha chega à Póvoa — Metro do Porto
- ^ Resultados de Eleições anteriores por região - Póvoa de Varzim PortugalPolítico.com
- ^ As Cidades Geminadas, as Relações Internacionais e a Cooperação — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ Fonseca Cardoso: "O Poveiro", Portugália, t. II. Porto, 1908.
- ^ Estabelecimentos de Educação — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ Festas de São Pedro — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
- ^ Nossa Senhora das Dores — Portal Municipal da Póvoa de Varzim
External links
- Municipal Portal of Póvoa de Varzim official website of the city Template:Pt icon
- Sports and Leisure
- Casino da Póvoa Template:En icon Template:Es icon, Varzim Sport Club, Rates Shooting Camp, C. Naval Water sports, Desportivo da Póvoa sports, Póvoa de Varzim People's Football League, Estela Golf Club Template:En icon
- Local media
- Póvoa Semanário, A Voz da Póvoa, Rádio Mar, Rádio Onda Viva
- Tourism
- Hotels and Inns, Marina of Póvoa de Varzim, Pictures, TrekEarth PVZ
- other
- Póvoa de Varzim City Portal, City Library, Poveiros House of Rio de Janeiro