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Póvoa de Varzim
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Póvoa de Varzim (locally ) is a Portuguese city in the Northern Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2007 estimated population of 66,463. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. It is located in a sandy coastal plain, just south of Cape Santo André, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers.
Permanent habitation in Póvoa de Varzim dates back to around four to six thousand years ago; around 900 BC, unrest in the region led to the establishment of a fortified city.
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Encyclopedia
Póvoa de Varzim (locally ) is a Portuguese city in the Northern Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2007 estimated population of 66,463. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. It is located in a sandy coastal plain, just south of Cape Santo André, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers.
Permanent habitation in Póvoa de Varzim dates back to around four to six thousand years ago; around 900 BC, unrest in the region led to the establishment of a fortified city. The ocean has played an important part in its culture and economy, through maritime trade, and later through fishing, leading it to acquire a Foral in 1308 and to become, in the 18th century, the main fishing port in northern Portugal. Since the late 19th century, its beaches have helped it become one of the main tourist areas of the region.
Póvoa de Varzim is one of the few legal gambling areas in Portugal, and has significant textile and food industries. The town has a rich seafood cuisine, and retains ancient customs such as the writing system of siglas poveiras and the masseira farming technique.
History
Discoveries of Acheulean stone tools suggest Póvoa de Varzim has been inhabited since the Lower Palaeolithic, around 200,000 BC. The first groups of shepherds settled on the coast where Póvoa de Varzim is now located between the 4th millennium and early 2nd millennium BC. Their dead were deposited in tumuli, which are the oldest monuments found in the municipality.
Widespread pillaging by rival tribes led the resident populations of the coastal plain of Póvoa de Varzim to raise a fortified town atop the hill that stood next to the sea. The city area covered 12,000 m2 (3 acres) and had several hundred inhabitants. It maintained commercial relations with the Mediterranean civilizations, during the Carthaginian dominion of the southern Iberian Peninsula.
During the Punic Wars, the Romans became aware of the Castro region's rich deposits of gold and tin. Viriathus, leading Lusitanian troops, hindered the expansion of the Roman Republic north of the river Douro. His murder in 138 BC opened the way for the Roman legions. Over the following two years, Decimus Junius Brutus advanced into the Castro region from south of the Douro, crushed the Castro armies, and left Cividade de Terroso, in ruins.
The region was incorporated into the Roman Empire and pacified during the reign of Caesar Augustus. The Castro people returned to the coastal plain, where Villa Euracini was constructed. Fishing developed with the cetariæ, a Roman fish factory, for the production of garum, an Ancient Roman fish sauce condiment.
With the fall of the Roman Empire, Suevi populations established themselves in the region. Starting in the 9th century, Viking fishermen originating from Brittany raised a peaceful colony in Villa Euracini. In the following century, Viking raids took place throughout north-western Iberia. It was first mentioned as a Portuguese town in March 26, 953 during the rule of Countess Mumadona Dias in the Era of the first County of Portugal. During the Middle Ages, the name Euracini evolved to Uracini, Vracini, Veracini, Verazini, Verazim, and eventually Varazim.
The natural wealth of Varazim's coast attracted aristocrats and nobles to the land. The northern area belonged to the military order of the Knights Hospitaller. It was named Varazim dos Cavaleiros (Knights' Varazim). The southern division of Varazim, the royal land, was important for fishery and agriculture, and disputes arose over the income brought in by fishing.
In 1308, King Denis granted a charter (known in Portugal as a Foral), giving the royal land to the 54 families of Varazim; these had to found a type of medieval town known as 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. In 1514, during the era of charter reform, King Manuel I gave a new charter to Villa da Povoa de Varzim. The town gained a Town Hall, public square and a pillory, and involved itself in the Portuguese discoveries.
In the 17th century, the brine preservation business transformed Póvoa into the biggest fish market in northern Portugal. The 'Poveiros became known as "the people who worked the hardest and best knew the seas." The community became wealthier; following a royal provision by Queen Mary I, Corregedor Almada reorganized the town's layout to make it more attractive and thus provided potential for a new business — sea baths.
In the 19th century, the town became popular as a summer destination for the upper classes of Porto and Minho due to its large beaches and the development of leisure and private gambling businesses. In the end of that century, there were 17 casinos. On February 27, 1892, a tragedy devastated the community. Seven lanchas poveiras wrecked in a storm and 105 fishermen were killed, just metres off the shore.
The thriving textile, food and tourist industries and the rail connection to Porto in 1875; and its development into the most popular holiday destination in northern Portugal, led to a major growth between the 1930s and 1960s.
In modern times, the fishing industry has lost much of its importance. Póvoa de Varzim is a service-sector city, but unlike other urban areas of Porto, it is not a dormitory community for commuters. Being one of northern Portugal's main locations, it developed a cosmopolitan style and serves as a centre for neighbouring towns.
Geography
Occupying an area of 82.1 km2 or , 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 — the Costa Verde. It is bordered 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.
Wandering along the coast one discerns Cape Santo André, the Avarus Promontory referred to by Ptolemy, geographer of Ancient Greece, in the territory of the Callaici. The rocky cliffs, common features downstream of the Minho's estuary, 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 coast, and forming sand dunes, mainly in northern Aguçadoura.
São Félix Hill (202 m, 663 ft) and Cividade Hill (155 m, 509 ft) rise above the landscape. Despite their modest rise, the expanse of the plain makes them easy reference points on the horizon. The mountain chain known as Serra de Rates divides the municipality in two distinctive areas: the coastal plain and 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.
The municipality has no large rivers, but abundant small water courses exist. Some of these courses are permanent, such as the Este River, which feeds into the Ave. The source of the Esteiro River is located at the base of Cividade Hill and empties at the beach of Aver-o-Mar, while the Alto River's source is at the base of São Félix and reaches the Atlantic at Rio Alto Beach. The land is well-irrigated, and springs and wells are very common, since underground water is often close to the surface.
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 the 18th century, the monks of Tibães planted pines, which now characterize the civil parish of Estela. In the past the Atlantic forest predominated, with trees such as oaks, ash trees, hazels, strawberry trees, holm oak, and alders. The rocks throughout the entire coastline are home to large populations of clams, fish and seaweed. These rocks and the dunes form rich ecosystems, but are threatened by holiday-makers, dune sports and waterfront construction.
Climate
Póvoa's climate is classified as Mediterranean climate (Csb in the Köppen climate classification system), with gentle summers and mild winters, influenced by the Atlantic ocean. Average temperatures oscillate between 12.5 and 15 °C (54.5 and 59 °F). The city possesses a microclimate and is considered the region least subject to frosts in all northern Portugal, and very uncommon snowfall, due to the winter winds that, normally, blow from south and southwest.
The prevailing northern winds known as Nortadas arise in the summer after midday. During its dry summer, a mass of hot and wet air, brought by the south and western maritime winds, creates the city's characteristic fog covering only the coast, which often dissipates with the afternoon sun. The annual precipitation varies between 1,200 and 1,400 mm (47.2 and 55 inches).
Cityscape
Located in the coastal plain between the sea and hills, the city of Póvoa de Varzim has eleven Partes (parts), or districts. These districts are, in turn, part of three formal administrative structures known as freguesias (civil parishes): Póvoa de Varzim (parish), A Ver-o-Mar, and Argivai. To the south, the city is extending out to combine with Vila do Conde.
The city started from an inland town that extended to the coast. The Bairro da Matriz, whose nucleus was the centre from whence the city grew, is intersected by 14th century narrow and twisted streets lined by single family homes. The historical district has old buildings such as the sixteenth century house in front of Igreja Matriz — the first church, the old Town Hall (17th century) and the eighteenth century Solar dos Carneiros, house of Captain Leite Ferreira, Limas House, and the Coentrão House. The fishermen grouped in the south coast, around Póvoa Cove (Enseada da Póvoa); already in the 18th century, the fisher district, with its structure of narrow streets parallel to the coast, was developed.
Bairro Norte, the beach district, is north of town and is densely occupied. Continuous to this area, the Agro-Velho beach district, also known as Nova Póvoa, is the area of the city with high-rises, the largest of which the Nova Póvoa, with 30 floors and 95 metres (312 feet) high, was built in the 1970s and is still today one of the ten tallest buildings in Portugal. Close at hand, Barreiros and Parque da Cidade are districts from the latest expansion.
Downtown Póvoa de Varzim or Centro is dominated by the service sector and by the shopping streets of Junqueira and Mousinho de Albuquerque Avenue. Praça do Almada, the central square, is tipped by City Hall, municipal departments, banks and other services. In the middle of the square, to the west, the Manueline pillory of Póvoa de Varzim stands. The Pelourinho, erected in 1514, is a national monument representing the municipal emancipation of Póvoa de Varzim.
Inland, Giesteira, derived from the old village of Giesteira that, with Argivai, formed the main nucleus of the settlement before the 14th century, and whose lavradores (farmers) set up "Póvoa" in the coast. The parish of Argivai is divided by the Santa Clara Aqueduct, a Romanesque aqueduct and national monument built between 1626 and 1714. The residential areas of Mariadeira, Regufe, Penalves, and Gândara have modest development, possess different topologies and are residential with small central areas. The Regufe Quarter has as symbol the Regufe Lighthouse, a sample from the 19th century iron art. Aver-o-mar is the northernmost urban coastal district and also of residential nature, with the exception of Santo André also known as Quião, which keeps an untouched fishing character recognized by family homes that have grown up in a spontaneous way.
Some religious buildings include the Baroque first church — the Igreja Matriz, the Dores Church and its six chapels in Bairro da Matriz quarter, and the fishermen Lapa Church, of baroque style, in Bairro Sul.
Beaches and parks
Póvoa de Varzim's beach is a 12 km, or , stretch, forming sheltered bays and divided by rocks, rich in iodine. Most beaches in the city are family-oriented such as Redonda, Salgueira or Lagoa Beach and during the summer period it can get crowded while those away from the city core, such as Santo André, are less crowded. Salgueira and Aguçadoura are surfing beaches, while others such as Verde and Quião Beach are flirting areas. Located near a camping park, Rio Alto Beach is chosen by naturists given its difficult access and the privacy offered by the sand dunes.
The City Park, under construction, will have 80 hectare or 200 acres, extending from the A28 motorway to Pedreira Lake and will have densely forested areas, open spaces, artificial hills and a new lake.
Rates Park is an adventure-camp with sport activities, canopy walkways, ecotourism by foot, horse, all-terrain vehicles or mountain biking. Damaged by the construction of high speed roads, Anjo woodland is expected to get a 5.2 hectare "urban green" access area.
Countryside
The green belt 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, Calves, Fontaínhas, Gandra, Gestrins, Gresufes, Passô, Sejães, and Têso.
The two hills of Póvoa, Cividade and São Félix, are located in the parishes of Terroso and Laúndos. On the first hill, there is Cividade de Terroso, one of the main cities of the Castro culture, and on the second was the eremite Saint Félix lived and meditated during the Middle Ages.
The population attributed legends, magical virtues or therapeutic effects to several springs. Springs related with São Pedro de Rates are located in Rates and Balasar. In Navais, there is the Moura Encontada Fountain, associated with Moura — a feminine water deity and guardian of enchanted treasures.
Rates is small town that developed around the monastery established by Count Henry 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. The parish of Balasar achieved religious importance and became a pilgrimage destination in the 20th century due to Alexandrina, died 1955, who gained fame as a saint, beatified by Pope John Paul II.
The parishes of Beiriz and Amorim are areas of transition between the urban and rural surroundings. Beiriz is recognized by its Beiriz carpets and Amorim for its bread eaten at high temperatures just after being made — the Broa de Amorim. Navais is located north of the municipality, along with the parishes of Estela and Aguçadoura. Estela became a recreation area, and Aguçadoura supplies the metropolitan markets with horticultural goods.
Culture and contemporary life
Junqueira is Póvoa de Varzim's busiest shopping district; the main street opened in the 18th century and is a pedestrian area since 1955. It has about 1 km (or 0.62 mi) of pedestrian streets. Dotted with Boutiques and 19th century and early 20th century buildings, Junqueira is renowned for its jewellery,Ourivesaria Gomes is a well known goldsmith in Portugal.
Póvoa de Varzim's waterfront is a beach and nightlife area popular with tourists and locals alike. Avenida dos Banhos, along Redonda and Salgueira beaches, is an iconic avenue in the city, with nightclubs, bars, and esplanades along the way. Passeio Alegre is a beach square filled with esplanades and nearby Caetano de Oliveira Square, to the north, is a small but vibrant square, with several bars where younger Poveiros meet, before going on to the nightclubs. Lota is a recreation area in front of the Casino and within the seaport.
Restaurants specializing in Portuguese barbecued chicken, seafood, francesinha, bacalhau can be found along the Estrada Nacional 13 road. Póvoa de Varzim has hotels. São Félix Hill (Monte São Félix), with panoramic views over the city and the countryside has the Senhora da Saúde Church at the foot of the hill and São Félix church at the summit.
Entertainment and performing arts
Casino da Póvoa is a central gaming and entertainment location since the 1930s. In 2006, it was the second casino in revenues, with 54 million euros and the third most popular with 1.2 million customers. In the 19th century, Póvoa had several gambling venues, such as Salão Chinês, Café Suisso, Café David, Café Universal and Luso-Brasileiro. The Salão Chinês was the most charismatic and famous due to its fancy decoration and by having some of best dancing girls of the Iberian Peninsula.
Póvoa's theatrical tradition, started with Teatro Garret (1873), Teatro Sá da Bandeira (1876), and Cine-Teatro Garrett (1890). The Auditório Municipal, is where the local school of music and the Octopus Film club coexist. The 19th century Garrett Teatre, now a public venue, will reopen after important structural reforms in 2010. The Varazim Teatro is a cultural and youth group of amateur theatre that has encouraged local drama and the Filantrópica, created in 1935, has as its purpose the execution of cultural activities and inducement to artistic creation.
Some international meetings include the É-Aqui-in-Ócio, a drama festival, the music video festival presentation known as VIMUS, the Músicas do Mar world music festival, and the Festival de Música, an erudite event established in 1978.
Museums
The Ethnography and History Municipal Museum of Póvoa de Varzim (1937) on Rua Visconde de Azevedo houses archaeological finds and exhibits relating to the seafaring history of the city. it is one of the oldest ethnic museums in Portugal and the "Siglas Poveiras" exhibit won the 1980 "European Museum of The Year Award". It possesses sacred art from the early first church (século XVI), faïence collection (16th to the 19th century) and archaeological finds such as the Roman inscriptions of Beiriz.
Two themed museums 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 Cividade de Terroso, which serves as a presentation of Cividade de Terroso. Another two museums are due to open: Casa do Pescador (Fisherman home) and Farol de Regufe (Regufe lighthouse).
The Ecomuseu de Rates is a green, historical and countryside route, with various stations starting on the Praça (the Square) with the Senhor da Praça baroque chapel, the Rates pillory and the old Rates township house, and primordial springs, wind and water mills, rustic ways and houses.
The Arquivo Municipal is the city's archive planned for those who are interested in tracing their family pedigree chart or scrutinize the city's records.
Literature
Diana Bar, currently the beach library, was a traditional writers meeting place since the 19th century, and was where José Régio passed his free time writing. Other famous writers closely associated with the city are Almeida Garrett, Camilo Castelo Branco, António Nobre, and Agustina Bessa-Luís. Nevertheless, the city is often remembered as the birthplace of Eça de Queiroz, one of the main writers in the Portuguese language.
In modern times, the city gained international prominence with Correntes d'Escritas, a literary festival where writers from the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking world gather in a variety of presentations and an annual award for best new release.
Sports
The city has developed a number of sporting venues and has hosted several national, European and world championships in different sports. 38% of the population practise sport, a high rate when compared to the national average.
The most popular sport in Póvoa de Varzim is association football. The City Park's Stadium and synthetic fields for football practice and athletics are the main stage for Póvoa de Varzim's People's championship where its football clubs compete: Aguçadoura, Amorim, Argivai, Averomar, Balasar, Barreiros, Beiriz, Belém, Estela, Juve Norte, Laundos, Leões da Lapa, Mariadeira, Matriz, Navais, Rates, Regufe, Terroso, and Unidos ao Varzim. Varzim SC is the professional football club of the city which plays in its own stadium near the beach; as of 2007, it played in the Liga de Honra (2nd level), but several times has reached the Portuguese Liga.
Swimming is the second most practised sport. The International Meeting of Póvoa de Varzim, in long course pool, is part of the European winter calendar. The meeting occurs in the city pool complex belonging to Varzim Lazer, a municipal company that also runs other sports venues found north of the city: the tennis academy, the bullfighting arena, and the municipal pavilion. The other complex is property of Clube Desportivo da Póvoa, a club that is notorious, in the city, because it competes in several sports: rink hockey, volleyball, basketball, auto racing, and athletics.
The Grande Prémio de São Pedro (Saint Peter Grand Prix), which occurs in the city's streets during the summer, is part of the national calendar of the Portuguese Athletics Federation. In 2007, the Grande Prémio da Marginal (Shoreline Grand Prix), an annual event between Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, aiming for the funding of the National Association of Paramiloidosis, was established in a bid to increase ties between both cities, as these share a common urban area. The Cego do Maio Half Marathon aims at the promotion of the city and the sport activity among the population. In Cycling it hosts the Clássica da Primavera (Spring Classic) in April. The X BTT Cross Country Monte da Cividade and the newly created Grande Maratona Cidade da Póvoa de Varzim are the mountain bike activities occurring in the municipality.
The marina, near the seaport, offers sea activities developed by the local yacht club - the Clube Naval Povoense. Costa Verde Trophy, linking Póvoa and Viana do Castelo, is one of the regattas organized by the club and Rally Portugal yacht racing is a sailing and sightseeing event along the west Iberian coast. Near São Félix Hill, the São Pedro de Rates shooting camp is considered one of the best in Portugal and in Europe, with great prestige among nationals. There is also a links golf course and a greyhound racing track in Estela. The most important run in the local bullring is a Portuguese-style bullfighting known as Grande Corrida TV Norte (TV's Great Run - North) in late July. A harmless, traditional and fun bullfight, known as Garraida, with young bulls and students, occurs in early May as part of Porto's student festivities - the Queima das Fitas.
Media
O Comércio da Póvoa de Varzim (est. 1903), A Voz da Póvoa (est. 1938), and Póvoa Semanário, which appeared during the 1990s, are Póvoa de Varzim's major weekly newspapers; while the Gazeta da Póvoa de Varzim (1870-1874) was the first local newspaper. A Voz da Póvoa and Póvoa Semanário compete between themselves and are devoted, exclusively, to local news and have Internet editions.
The local radio stations Rádio Mar (89.0) and Radio Onda Viva (96.1) broadcast on FM and online. The stations' programming include local news and sports and feature an in-depth look at the city's top news by interviewing a guest at lunchtime on weekends. Radio Onda Viva airs Mandarin Chinese programming daily. The radio station, Rádio Mar, and the newspaper Póvoa Semanário belong to the same group; the same company offers news services to the neighbouring cities of Vila do Conde and Esposende.
Festivals
People in Póvoa de Varzim observe a variety of holidays and festivals each year. The major celebration is Saint Peter's, the fishermen's saint. The neighbourhoods are decorated; and, on the night of 28th to 29th the population dances and eats by the light of fires. Neighbourhoods compete in the rusgas (a carnival) and the creation of thrones to Saint Peter. During the festivities, the population behaves much like football supporters, and there are disturbances when fans defend their preferred district. Families who emigrated to the United States and beyond, have been known to come back to Póvoa, time and again, simply to relish the spectacular feelings of excitement and community present at this festival.
Easter Monday is considered to be the second "municipal holiday". The populace works on Good Friday (national holiday) to have Monday free to picnic (Anjo festival). The local companies follow this tradition and are open on Friday and closed on Monday.
On August 15, there is the Feast of the Assumption, one of the largest of this kind in Portugal, the pinnacle of the procession occurs in front of the seaport, where fireworks are launched from carefully arranged boats. In the last fortnight of September, during the Senhora das Dores festival, there is the century-old Senhora das Dores Pottery Fair, with many tents, installed in the square near the Senhora das Dores Church, which sell diverse wares of traditional Portuguese pottery.
São Félix Hill is a reference point for fishermen at sea. On the last Sunday of May, the Pilgrimage of Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Health) covers a distance of 7 km (4.25 mi) between the Matriz Church and the Nossa Senhora da Saúde Chapel, at the foot of São Félix. In Cape Santo André there is a rocky formation known as Penedo do Santo or 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 who 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.
Ethnography
Poveiro culture is the result of what is found in the Minho Region influenced by the local fishery habits, protected and shaped by 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. The local expression ala-arriba means "go (upwards)" and it represents the co-operation between the inhabitants.
Siglas Poveiras are a form of proto-writing system, with a restricted number of symbols that were combined to form more complex symbols; these were used as a rudimentary visual communication system, and as a family coat of arms or signature to mark belongings. Merchants wrote them in their books of credit; fishermen used it in religious rituals by marking them in the door of Catholic chapels near hills or beaches; in the table of their town’s first church during marriage; and also had magical significance, such as the São Selimão sigla , that could be used as a protecting symbol and not as family mark. Children used the same family mark with piques as a form of cadency. The youngest son would not have any pique and would inherit the marca-brasão, his father's symbol. The siglas are still used, though much less commonly, by some families; and are, possibly, related with Viking traditions.
The camisolas poveiras are local pullovers, with fishing motifs and name embroidered in sigla, made for celebration and decorative purposes. The pullovers were a local dress until 1892, when a misfortune at sea led the community to stop wearing it. It became popular again at the end of the 1970s. Today, there are 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 internationally renowned Tapetes de Beiriz or Beiriz carpets, which are rustic carpets in which the carpet's pattern can be seen in the reverse side.
The Lancha Poveira is a boat that developed from the Drakkar Viking, but without a long stern and bow and with a Mediterranean sail. According to a tradition that persists to this day, the youngest son is the heir of the family, as in old Brittany and Denmark, because it was expected that he would take care of his parents when they became old. Women govern the family, because men were usually away from home fishing.
Formerly, the population was divided into different "castes": The Lanchões (those who possessed boats which were capable of deep-water fishing, therefore more prosperous), the Rasqueiros (the fisher "bourgeoisie" used "rasca" nets to fish rays, lobsters and crabs) and the Sardinheiros or Fanequeiros (those who possessed small boats and could only catch fish of smaller size along the shore) and, apart of them, the Lavradores (the farmers). As a rule, the groups remained distinct, and mixed marriages between them were forbidden, mostly because of the isolationism of the fishermen.
The most traditional ingredients of the local cuisine are locally-grown vegetables and fish. The fish used in the traditional cuisine are divided in two categories, the "poor" fish (sardine, ray, mackerel, and others) and the "wealthy" fish (such as whiting, snook, and alfonsino). The most famous local dish is Pescada à Poveira (Poveira Whiting), whose main ingredients are, along with the fish that gives the name to the dish, potatoes, eggs and a boiled onion and tomato sauce. Other fishery dishes include the Arroz de Sardinha (sardine rice), Caldeirada de Peixe (fish stew), Lulas Recheadas à Poveiro (Poveiro stuffed squids), Arroz de Marisco (seafood rice) and Lagosta Suada (steamed lobster). Shellfish and boiled iscas, pataniscas, and bolinhos de bacalhau are popular snacks. Other dishes include Feijoada Poveira, made with white beans and served with dry rice (arroz seco); and Francesinha Poveira made in long bread that first appeared in 1962 as fast food for holidaymakers.
Demographics
A native of Póvoa de Varzim is called a Poveiro. According to the 2001 Census, there were 63,470 inhabitants that year, 38 848 (61.2%) of whom lived in the city. The number goes up to 100,000 if adjacent satellite areas are taken into account, ranking it as the seventh largest independent urban area in Portugal, within a polycentric agglomeration of about 3 million people. The population of the entire municipality grew only 1% between 1981 and 1991, then increased by 15.3% between 1991 and 2001. During that period, the urban population had grown 23%, with the number of families increasing considerably — by about 44.5%. The biggest immigrant communities are Ukrainians, Brazilians, Chinese, Russians, and Angolans.
The quality of live in the city and the infrastructure development such as the metro and a 15 minutes distance from Porto and Braga, prompted new residents originating from near-by cities such as Porto, Braga, Guimarães and Famalicão which lead to a real estate boom that may double the resident population in the medium term.
The urban area has a population density of 3035/km² (7,864/mi²), while the rural area has a density of 355.5/km² (920/mi²). The rural areas away from the city tend to be scarcely populated, becoming much denser near it. During the summer the resident population in the city triples; this seasonal movement from neighbouring cities is due to the draw of the beach and 29.9% of homes had seasonal use in 2001, the highest in Greater Porto. Póvoa de Varzim is the youngest city in Greater Porto with a birth rate of 13.665 and mortality rate of 8.330.
Due to practice of endogamy and the caste system, Póvoa's fishing community maintained its local ethnic characteristics; at the beginning of 20th century, anthropologists had classified the local population as being a Semitic-Norman community, composed of descendants of Phoenicians and Vikings. In a research published in O poveiro in 1908, Fonseca Cardoso considered that a dolichocephalous anthropological element, the aquiline nose, was of Semitic-Phoenician origin. Anthropological and cultural data indicate Nordic fishermen settling during the period of the coast's resettlement. In the book The Races of Europe, Poveiros were distinguished by having a slightly greater than usual degree of blondism, broad faces of unknown origin, and broad jaws. On the other hand, the man from the interior was a farmer with Galician character (typical northern Portuguese), shorter with dark hair. Other settlers were the Castro people (of mixed Celtic and pre-Celtic origin), the Romans, and the Suebi.
Poveiros have migrated to other places and this attenuated the population growth. One should notice that the Poveiros tended to create their own associations abroad, there are Casa dos Poveiros (Poveiros House) in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo), Germiston in South Africa and Toronto in Canada. In Rio de Janeiro, the community was known by not wanting other peoples of other origins, including Portuguese born in other towns, within their community. During the emigration period of the 20th century, many Poveiros emigrated in Brazil returned, as many refused to lose Portuguese nationality. Due to fisher classes affairs, the fisher areas of Vila do Conde, Esposende and Matosinhos suffer from strong Poveiro cultural influence.
In a 2005 study published by the Expresso, Póvoa de Varzim was considered the seventh most developed, in terms of quality of life, among the Portuguese municipalities and the most developed in Porto district. The newspaper Primeiro de Janeiro honoured Póvoa, on the same occasion, as the "city of future" in the Porto district, in fields such as environment, cultural heritage, music, sports, and literary events.
Economy
The economy of Póvoa de Varzim is driven by tourism (namely gambling, hotels and restaurants), manufacturing, construction, fishing, and agriculture. During the 2001 census, 1770 companies are headquartered in Póvoa de Varzim, of which 2.82% were of the primary sector, 33.73% of the secondary and 63.45% of the tertiary, including software companies operating nationally and abroad. Despite its weight in Greater Porto international trade is weak, in 2004 it represented 1.1% of departures and 0.9% of arrivals, its coverage rate of arrivals against departures suppressed the 100% mark. The activity rate had grown from 48% to 51.1% from 1991 to 2001, but there were 3353 citizens unemployed in June 2006.
Póvoa de Varzim has been noted internationally for its Renewable energy industry. The world's first commercial wave farm is located in its coast, at the Aguçadora Wave Park. The wave farm uses three Pelamis P-750 machines with a capacity of 2.25 megawatts, enough to meet the average electricity demand of more than 1,500 Portuguese households. In the first phase, the park will produce 2.25 megawatts, enough energy for 1500 homes. Energy self-sustainability is foreseen with the expansion of the wave park to 28 machines capable to produce 24 mW, supplying 250 thousand inhabitants, 10% of that energy, capable of supplying one third of the population of the municipality, will be assigned to the city. Energie, a company headquartered in Póvoa de Varzim, developed a thermodynamic solar system combining solar energy and a heat pump to generate energy even when it is night or overcast; the success of this technology internationally led the company to open in a large factory, that started operating in 2007.
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 and to the city's fish market, beach agriculture, seaweed-gathering for fertilizing fields, and tourism are the result of its geography. Tourism and the related industries are more relevant in Póvoa's economy these days, as fisheries have lost importance. Nevertheless, the mean value of fish landed in 2004, in its seaport, was almost three times that of Matosinhos seaport and significantly higher in the average vessels' capacity. Its fishing productivity is also comparatively higher than the national average.
Monte Adriano, the seventh largest construction company in Portugal, and the joint venture between the Royal Lankhorst Euronete and Quintas & Quintas, producer of deepwater mooring systems, are two large companies based in the city. The manufacturing industry is an important employer, mostly in the textile industry that has low productivity and income. These industries are located out of the city in Beiriz, Balasar, and Rates. Other employers include the blanket handicraft industry of Terroso and Laundos, and the wood industries of Rates. One of the initiatives of the municipality is the Parque Industrial de Laundos (Industrial Park of Laundos), in the city's outskirts, next to the A28 Motorway.
Póvoa de Varzim is one of the principal food suppliers for Greater Porto and is part of the ancient Vinho Verde winemaking region. The coastal populations developed the masseira farm fields. This technique increases agricultural yields by using large, rectangular depressions dug into sand dunes, with the spoil piled up into banks surrounding the depression. Grapes are cultivated on the banks to the south, east and west, and trees and reeds on the northern slope act as a windbreak against the prevailing northern wind. Garden crops are grown in the central depression. Production is still specialized in horticultural goods, but most of the masseiras were substituted by greenhouses. The inland valley region is committed to milk production and the Agros Enterprise Centre of Lactogal, the largest dairy products and milk producer company in Portugal, is under construction and will be the corporation headquarters and will have several departments such as exhibition park and laboratories, thus becoming the largest agricultural project in the north of Portugal.
Government
Póvoa de Varzim is governed by a Câmara Municipal (City Council) composed of nine councilmen. A Municipal Assembly exists and it is the legislative body of the municipality, consisting of 39 members, twelve of whom are presidents of civil parishes.
After the 2005 municipal elections, six councilmen were members of the centre-right Partido Social Democrata (PSD) and the remaining three of the centre-left Partido Socialista (PS). The mayor is Macedo Vieira, for the PSD, elected with 54.21% of the votes. The PSD holds the majority of public offices both in the Municipal Assembly and in the civil parishes. After the first free elections, with the end of the Estado Novo period, only right-wing parties have governed the city: the city council 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.
Póvoa de Varzim is the northernmost municipality in the Porto Metropolitan Area, about 27 km (16 mi) north of downtown Porto. Despite being enclosed in the northern metropolis, Póvoa de Varzim is part of the Association of Municipalities of the Ave Valley. Within the context of the European Union, Póvoa de Varzim is twinned, since 1986, with the city of Montgeron in France, with Eschborn in Germany (since 1998) and Zabbar in Malta (since 2001) and it received the 1995 and 2005 Golden Stars of Town-twinning from the European Commission.
Between 1308 and 1836, the municipality was made up of a single parish territory of which, over time, grew to approach the medieval borders. With the administrative reform of the land in 1836, Póvoa de Varzim annexed Rates township, regained the remaining domains of Argivai, and obtained Balasar, Estela, Laúndos, Navais, Terroso, Outeiro Maior, Parada, Rio Mau, and Santagões. In 1853, it exchanged the preceding four with nearby Vila do Conde and got Amorim and Beiriz. The civil parishes of Aver-o-Mar and Aguçadoura were created in early 20th century through the dismemberment of Amorim and Navais, respectively. The settlement of Aver-o-Mar was first annexed in the 17th century due to an emergent community of fishing-farmers. On the other hand, Caxinas and Poça da Barca, south expansion areas of Póvoa de Varzim in the 18th and 19th centuries with fisher populations from Póvoa, are still administrated by Vila do Conde, in spite of the centuries-old requests of Póvoa de Varzim for these to be incorporated in its municipality.
The origin of the coat of arms of Póvoa de Varzim is unknown, but it certainly has local traits and symbolism. The coat of arms is composed of a golden sun and a silver moon; in the middle a golden cross completed by two anchor silver arms, representing safety at sea. Over the cross, a ring, of which falls a golden rosary that interlaces with the anchor arms, representing faith and divine protection. The crest is made of five silver towers due to its city status. The flag is broken in blue and white. Between 1939 and 1958, a different coat of Arms and flag were used, which the population criticized; it consisted of a golden shield, covered by a red net, the sea and a black Poveiro boat; the flag was plain red. The population did not accept these new symbols and years later the old ones would be restored.
Education
Póvoa de Varzim has public, denominational and independent schools in the city and rural areas. Public education in the municipality is provided by five school districts: Flávio Gonçalves, Cego do Maio, Aver-o-Mar, Campo Aberto, and Rates. These school districts arrange kindergartens and schools to the 9th grade of different locales of the municipality and are headed by Escolas de Educação Básica do 2.° e 3.° Ciclo (6th to the 9th grade schools) that give the name to each district. Private schools are primarily run by Catholic parishes or groups, but the Grande Colégio da Póvoa de Varzim and Campo Verde School of Agriculture are eminent independent schools and MAPADI is a large facility and school for children with down syndrome. Colégio do Sagrado Coração de Jesus, where Agustina Bessa-Luís studied, will reopen in the 2007-2008 school year, planning to become a leading catholic school.
High schools (10th to the 12th grade) are situated in the city centre: Escola Secundária Eça de Queirós and Escola Secundária Rocha Peixoto. The Colégio de Amorim is an independent school in the civil parish of Amorim that also offers secondary education. Eça de Queirós was a lyceum created in 1904 that maintains its humanist outlook and Rocha Peixoto was a former industrial and commercial school created in 1924.
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. A little more than one quarter of the population now has intermediate or superior level qualifications. The illiteracy level was reduced between 1991 and 2001 from 7 to 5.9 percent.
The Rocha Peixoto Municipal Library, established in 1880, on the 300th anniversary of the death of Luís de Camões was finally housed in the current building in 1991. The Pólos de leitura of Aguçadoura, Amorim, Balazar, Laúndos, and Rates are small libraries located in the countryside and, as the Diana Bar Beach Library, are extension posts of the municipal library.
Infrastructure
Healthcare and security
The first healthcare structure, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia da Póvoa de Varzim (Holy House of Mercy), opened in 1756. The hospitals of the city are the São Pedro Pescador Hospital (state-run) and Clipóvoa Hospital (private). The public hospital suffers from lack of bed spaces. Due to this, there is an on-going plan to build a modern hospital, in the border between the cities of Póvoa de Varzim and Vila do Conde, to serve the population of both municipalities. The Centro de Saúde da Póvoa de Varzim (Health Centre) is a public primary care building which has extensions in the main parishes.
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 mayor. The Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) does the city policing, while the Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR) is responsible for the countryside. In terms of crime, Póvoa de Varzim is considered by the Polícia de Segurança Pública as a "calm" zone in all categories of offense; violent crime, in particular, is practically non-existent. Mostly, crime consists of minor robberies to homes, stores, or from cars.
Póvoa is one of the twelve national sea borders controlled by the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF). The Escola Prática dos Serviços, 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 Escola Prática de Administração Militar, from 2006 onwards it gained the material and transport services, thus increasing its range of functions and troop numbers.
Transport
Póvoa de Varzim is served by a transportation network that employs maritime, aerial and terrestrial travel. The terrestrial access infrastructure is composed of national motorways (freeways), the national roads system, and light rail metro. These infrastructures and the airport, bus terminal, marina and harbour are used daily by thousands of people to travel to the city.
The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) is located 18 km (11 mi) south of the city. It is the second biggest international airport in Portugal and serves all Greater Porto. The Line B of Porto Metro links Póvoa de Varzim to Porto with two services: a standard and a shuttle (the Expresso); through Verdes station, Metro trains link the city and the airport. The line operates on a former railway, which opened in 1875 and deactivated in 2002 to give way for the metro. The railway network was expanded and reached Famalicão in 1881, it was deactivated in 1995 and expected to become a rail trail.
Public transportation within the city is provided by private-owned companies. Streetcars appeared in 1874 and endured until the first years of the 20th century. The Central de Camionagem is a terminus for urban and long distance buses that provide mass transit in the surrounding region, namely the city's countryside, Porto, Minho Region, and Galicia in Spain. Litoral Norte as a wholly urban transportation network with 5 lines, while Linhares has the oldest bus network operating in the city.
The city is connected by road on a north-south axis from Valença to Porto by the A28 motorway. It is also reached by the A7 and A11 motorways on an east-west axis, through the south and north of the city, in that order, and both cross the A28.
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 ring roads more important, this can be seen in Avenida 25 de Abril, an urban belt road.
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.
See also
External links
- - official website of the city
- - City libraries
- - News weekly
- - News weekly
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