Interesting facts about Porto

Porto cityscape

​Porto is a fascinating place with an interesting history, so given I’ve been kicking around in the city for a while now, I thought it was time to give Porto a shout out.
 
Here are some things you might not know about Porto.

• Porto is located in northern Portugal, around 100 kilometres south of the Spanish border and roughly 300 kilometres north of the country’s capital, Lisbon.

 

• With a population of almost 250,000*, Porto is Portugal’s second-largest city (behind Lisbon).

 

• Speaking of Lisbon, Porto loves to go tit-for-tat with its big brother. If you ask someone from Porto whether Lisbon is a great place to live or vice versa, the answer will likely be a resounding ‘no’. (Sydney/Melbourne, Porto/Lisbon … you get what I mean). Same goes for Porto and its cross-river neighbour, Vila Nova de Gaia (commonly known as just ‘Gaia’). Nothing like some friendly rivalry.

 

• Porto is responsible for the world’s supply of port wine (or, begrudgingly for Porto, it’s actually Gaia [and the Douro Valley] that’s primarily responsible…).

 

• The city’s traditional English name is Oporto, while its Portuguese name is Porto. This is similar to how Portugal’s capital is referred to as Lisbon in English, rather than its Portuguese name Lisboa. Nowadays, however, Porto is commonly used across the board.

 

• Porto means ‘port’ in English, reflecting the city’s function as an industrial hub at the mouth of the Douro River. This is also where the name of the wine comes from, with Vinho do Porto literally translating to ‘wine of the port’.

 

• On the subject of names, you may be interested to know Porto influenced the name of the whole country. In Ancient Roman times, before Porto was a city, the portside area the city now occupies had the Latin name Portus Cale (or ‘Port of Cale’). The name Portugal is then believed to have derived from this.​​ 

• During the Portuguese Civil War in the early nineteenth century, Porto resisted the Miguelists (supporters of King Miguel I) in what was known as the Siege of Porto (1832–1833). This earned the city the nickname Invicta, which means ‘undefeated’.

 

• A revolution took place in Porto on 31 January 1891 in an attempt to overthrow the monarchy. While it would take another 19 years for Portugal to become a republic, this event was critical to the process. (As a side note, when you travel around Portugal you’ll notice lots of street names are the dates of important historical events, Rua de 31 de Janeiro included).

 

• Prince Henry the Navigator, who sponsored many of Portugal’s international expeditions and who I referred to in my blog post A brief history of Portugal, was born in Porto.

 

• Many of Portugal’s naval voyages set sail from Porto, and it was typical for sailors to be bestowed the finest cuts of meat while mainlanders made do with the leftovers. Hence the people of Porto gained the nickname tripeiros or ‘tripe eaters’.

 

• Porto’s historic centre was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1996. The decision was made based on the outstanding universal value of Porto’s cityscape, which is testament to the development of a European city over the past 1000 years.

• While once an industrial powerhouse, Porto has experienced its fair share of social and economic decline, particularly during Portugal’s dictatorship and the Global Financial Crisis. High unemployment drove skilled workers out of the city, many people struggled financially and countless buildings were abandoned (plenty still are). Locals tell me the city centre was widely considered a no-go zone as little as ten years ago, so it’s positive to see a resurgence of colour and activity bringing the centre back to life. Some urban renewal triggers included Porto being named the European Capital of Culture in 2001, creation of an urban regeneration initiative in 2004 (Porto Vivo) and budget airlines such as Ryanair introducing cheap flights to Porto, which attracted more visitors, and in turn, more investment. The nice thing about Porto however is that its gentrification has (so far) been subtle, so it still feels very authentic.

 

• As in any city, it pays to keep your wits about you, but generally speaking, Porto is very safe.

 

• Porto is establishing itself as a technology and innovation hub, with a growing list of startups choosing Porto as their base.

 

• J.K. Rowling used to live in Porto with her Portuguese ex-husband and it’s thought the city provided much inspiration for the Harry Potter series. As you walk around Porto pay attention to the ornate detailing of the Lello bookstore, the long black gowns worn by University of Porto students, the brush and broom (…broomstick?) store Escovaria de Belomonte, and the lion fountain outside the university, which is rumoured to be the inspiration behind the ‘griffin’ – and see if you notice any resemblance. Some also believe Salazar Slytherin is named after Portugal’s former dictator António Salazar (you can read more about Portugal’s dictatorship in my post A quick overview of Portugal’s economy). I’m not sure Rowling has confirmed any of this, but regardless, the city loves drawing HP parallels and tourists love buying into it. I mean, why not?

 

• In June 2014, one of Portugal’s leading graphic designers and Porto resident Eduardo Aires was commissioned to create a visual identity for Porto to give the city a distinctive and unifying brand. Aires’ design was inspired by Portugal’s blue and white azulejos tiles and the city’s landmarks, and you’ll see this pattern on signs, buildings and posters throughout the city.​

Now you have a few random facts up your sleeve, find out where to stay and what to do in Porto by reading my article for The Telegraph UK, as well as my article for The Big Bus Tour and Travel Guide about things to see and do in Porto, and my list of the best hotels in Porto in my Stumble Guide, as reviewed for The Telegraph.

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*Based on 2011 statistics from the United Nations Statistics Division (UNdata).
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