Culture of Porto. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

» The Porto Cathedral is the oldest and most revered in the city. It started to be built in 1110. An urban settlement was gradually growing around it.
»  For centuries, a lot of interesting events took place at the cathedral. In 1387, King John I and English Princess Philippa of Lancaster got married.
»  The son of John I, Henry, was baptized here. He was called “a sailor”, although he never took part in expeditions but organized such voyages.
»  Today, only facade with a Gothic rose and battlements is all that remains of the original cathedral.
»  In 1333, a funeral chapel was built here. The Knight of Malta Joao was buried here.
»  Near it, a monastery was constructed. In the 17th century, Portuguese artists created a silver altar at the cathedral. It weighs 800 kilos. The interior of the halls is designed in the medieval style.

» The Clerigos Church was built in 1750 by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni. The construction lasted for 18 years. Nasoni built a bell tower, the Torre dos Clerigos, behind the church in 1763.
»  During the construction, the architect joined the Brotherhood of the Clergymen. When he died in 1770, he was buried in the crypt of the church.
»  The church and the tower are designed in the baroque style and decorated with carved elements and statues of saints. The walls on the ground floor are 2 m thick.
»  The bell tower is 76 m high. It is seen from afar. The tower has long been a reference point for navigators.
»  You can get up the spiral staircase and reach the top of the tower. There is an observation platform.
»  In 1910, the Torre dos Clerigos was declared a national monument.

» The Palacio da Bolsa was built on the ruins of a monastery. The construction began in 1842. The building was intended for trade.
»  It had been constructed for a long time, so the interior was finished only in 1910. In the palace, there are a lot of rooms that have a unique name and design.
»  The biggest room is called “Nations' Courtyard”. Its ceiling is a glass octagonal dome. On the dome, there are emblems of countries Portugal traded in the 19th century with.
»  There are also the Tribunal Room and the Assembly Room. The Golden and Arab Rooms decorated in the Moorish Revival style are the most impressive. Here, important political figures and noble guests are hosted.
»  It is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
»  In other rooms, there are paintings, sculptures, beautiful pieces of furniture, and dishes.

Location on the map:   Facts: » In Porto, there is a customs agency in the building built in the 19th century. A museum was opened here.
»  Exhibits tell about the development of transportation lines in the country. The collection of items withdrawn from smugglers also narrates about the customs service. Golden bars, weapons, embalmed animals are not all seized exhibits.
»  In the Notification Sector, you can learn about how a hearing, smell, sight, and touches help communicate with a living being.
»  In the Communication Center, visitors can learn about codes, sign language, the Morse code, Braille for visually impaired and blind people, and secret ciphers.
»  The chapter about officials’ cars will carry you back in time. There is a car park where you can see different cars from the first hydrogen-fueled vehicles to Mercedes that belonged to the President until 2013. The museum is also proud of the first passenger car delivered from Paris in 1895.
»  In the customs library that houses about 20 000 books, you can learn about the government of the 19th century. There are also documents of the 17th century.

Location on the map:   Facts: » The Crystal Palace in Porto was built in 1865 when the Worldwide Exhibition was held. It resembles the palace in Hyde Park which was also built for hosting the Worldwide Exhibition in 1851.
»  The Crystal Palace has long disappeared. At its site, a big multifunctional pavilion with a glass roof was built. Here, different events and festivals for adults and children are held.
»  The park around it impresses with alleys and flowerbeds, walking peacocks, and comfortable benches. There are a lot of sculptures in the ancient, classical, and modern avant-garde styles.
»  In the park, there is the Rose Garden, the Scented Garden, and the Romantic Museum. In the late 19th century, the fugitive King of Sardinia, Carl Albert lived here with his family. Nothing - old furniture, the collection of paintings, and tapestries - has changed since the king’s death.
»  On the ground floor, there is a port wine saloon and taste this famous Portuguese drink.