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Porto

City in Portugal

  • 27 min read
  • 13 chapters
Dom Luis I bridge over the Douro river connecting Vila Nova de Gaia and Porto, in Portugal.
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0

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On the Douro River estuary in northern Portugal, Porto is one of the oldest European centers, and its core was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996, as the Historic Centre of Porto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar. The historic area is also a National Monument of Portugal. The western part of its urban area extends to the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. Settlement dates back to the 2nd century BC, when it was an outpost of the Roman Republic. Its combined Celtic-Latin name, Portus Cale, has been referred to as the origin of the name Portugal, based on transliteration and oral evolution from Latin.

Port wine, one of Portugal's most famous exports, is named after Porto, as the metropolitan area, and in particular the cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia, were responsible for the packaging, transport, and export of fortified wine. Porto is on the Portuguese Way path of the Camino de Santiago. Livraria Lello uses timed entry, while several port wine cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia offer guided tours and tastings. In 2023, Porto was named City of the Year by Food and Travel magazine. In 2024, the city was named World's Leading Seaside Metropolitan Destination at the World Travel Awards.

History

Early history

Before the Roman conquest, the region was inhabited by the Gallaeci, a Celtic people. Archaeological ruins from this period have been uncovered in several locations. Findings suggest that human settlements existed at the mouth of the Douro River as early as the 8th century BC, possibly indicating the presence of a Phoenician trading post.

Under the Roman Empire, Porto (then known as Portus Cale) developed into a significant commercial hub, facilitating trade between Olissipona (modern Lisbon) and Bracara Augusta (modern Braga). During the Suebian and Visigothic periods, it emerged as a key center for the spread of Christianity.

Between 714 and 716, Porto came under Muslim control following the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. It was reconquered by Christian forces under Alfonso I of Asturias in 741, establishing Porto as a fortified Christian frontier town.

In 868, Vímara Peres, a Galician nobleman and vassal of Alfonso III of León, was granted the fief of Portucale. He repopulated and fortified the area between the Minho and Douro rivers, founding the County of Portucale—later known as the County of Portugal.

In 1093, Teresa of León, illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VI of Castile, married Henry of Burgundy, who received the County of Portugal as dowry. Under their son, Afonso I of Portugal, the region declared independence in the 12th century and became the nucleus of the Portuguese nation-state.

In 1387, Porto hosted the marriage of John I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, cementing the Anglo-Portuguese alliance, which remains the oldest enduring military alliance in the world.

By the 15th century, Porto had become a prominent shipbuilding and maritime center. In 1415, Prince Henry the Navigator launched the Conquest of Ceuta from Porto, initiating the Portuguese Age of Discovery. The nickname tripeiros (tripe-eaters) originates from this period, when better meat cuts were sent on naval expeditions, leaving tripe for the locals. The dish Tripas à moda do Porto remains emblematic of the city's culinary identity.

18th century

Since the 13th century, wines from the Douro Valley had been transported to Porto in flat-bottomed barcos rabelos. The Methuen Treaty of 1703 strengthened commercial and military ties with England. By 1717, English firms had established trading posts in Porto and began dominating the port wine trade. In response, Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal created a state-controlled wine company and demarcated the Douro region—Europe's first protected wine region. This led to the 1757 Revolta dos Borrachos ("revolt of the drunkards"), during which company buildings were attacked, but that was brutally suppressed by the authorities.

Between 1732 and 1763, architect Nicolau Nasoni designed the Clérigos Church and its tower, now a city icon. The 18th and 19th centuries saw Porto's emergence as an industrial center.

19th century

In 1806, Porto built the floating pontoon bridge known as the Ponte das Barcas. During the Peninsular War, French forces under Jean-de-Dieu Soult invaded the city. On 29 March 1809, thousands of civilians attempting to flee across the bridge caused it to collapse, resulting in an estimated 4,000 deaths—the deadliest bridge disaster in history.

Shortly after, British commander Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington led a successful counterattack in the Second Battle of Porto, crossing the Douro River using wine barges and retaking the city.

The Liberal Revolution of 1820 began in Porto, advocating a constitutional monarchy and the return of John VI of Portugal from Brazil. Although a liberal constitution was enacted in 1822, a civil war erupted when Miguel I of Portugal seized power in 1828. Porto endured an 18-month siege (1832–1833) by absolutist forces. The city's resistance earned it the epithet Cidade Invicta ("Unvanquished City").

The Ponte das Barcas was replaced by the Ponte D. Maria II (1843), later followed by Gustave Eiffel's Maria Pia Bridge (1877). Eiffel's former partner Théophile Seyrig designed the Dom Luís I Bridge, opened in 1886.

Other civic developments included the founding of the nautical school Aula de Náutica (1762), and the stock exchange (Bolsa do Porto, 1834–1910).

The 31 January 1891 republican revolt, the first of its kind in Portugal, occurred in Porto and contributed to the fall of the monarchy in 1910.

20th and 21st centuries

On 19 January 1919, monarchist forces declared the Monarchy of the North in Porto during a brief counter-revolution. Although the movement was short-lived, Porto briefly served as the capital of the restored monarchy before republican forces regained control.

The Historic Centre of Porto was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. In 2001, Porto shared the title of European Capital of Culture with Rotterdam, initiating major cultural and infrastructural development projects.

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