Tour of Porto's Landmarks

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Tour of Porto's Landmarks Porto is home to a wide variety of landmarks, which the city has acquired over a long period of time. Today the city works hard to preserve these landmarks and keep them looking as they did when they were originally built. Take this tour to visit the most famous sites in Porto. Guide Location: Portugal» Porto # of Attractions: 12 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.2 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" downloadable on itunes App Store and Google Play. The app provides turn-by-turn GPS navigation to guide you from one tour sight to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Porto. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Estátua Equestre de D. Pedro IV B) Torre dos Clérigos C) Estátua António Ferreira Gomes D) Estatua de Ramalho Ortigão E) Hospital Geral de S.to António F) Reitoria da Universidade do Porto G) Fonte dos Leões H) Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes I) Praça de Carlos Alberto J) Estátua Guerra Peninsular K) Casa da Musica L) Cemitério de Agramonte Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - A) Estátua Equestre de D. Pedro IV In 1866 a monument dedicated to King Peter IV, a monarch closely linked to Porto, was inaugurated in the middle of the square. The monument, by French sculptor Anatole Calmels, consists of a statue of Peter IV riding a horse and holding the Constitution that he had fought to protect during the Liberal Wars. Pedro I of Brazil was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil and was also King of Portugal as Pedro IV. His full name was Pedro de Alcântara Francisco António João Carlos Xavier de Paula Miguel Rafael Joaquim José Gonzaga Pascoal Cipriano Serafim. He was born on October 12, 1798, in Queluz, the fourth child of King Dom João VI of Portugal and Infanta Charlotte of Spain. The Emperor-King was a member of the Portuguese branch and founder of the Brazilian branch of the House of Braganza and was referred to using the honorific "Dom". Address: Praça da Liberdade, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Júlio Reis. Sight description based on Wikipedia. B) Torre dos Clérigos (must see) Torre dos Clérigos - a bell tower of the Clérigos Church in Porto - is one of the most noticeable sights of the city seen from many different vantage points. When in Porto, make sure to grab the opportunity and climb to the top of the tower to take in an incredible view of the city. The structure, one of the first Baroque constructions of the period, is clad in polychromatic marble. It was constructed in the 18th century by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni, member of the Brotherhood of the Clergy, who also built the Archbishop s Palace and the Misericórida Church. He is buried in a crypt beneath the tower. The latter stands six floors tall totaling over 75 meters, luring visitors to climb the large staircase (225 steps) to get a fantastic panorama of Porto. Both, the church and the tower are open to visitors all year round. Address: R. da Assunção 8, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Flickr and Leandro's World Tour. Sight description based on Wikipedia. Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

6 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 - C) Estátua António Ferreira Gomes Estátua António Ferreira Gomes stands in front of the garden Jardim da Cordoaria, also known as Campo dos Martires da Patria. The monument itself was created to commemorate Antonio Ferreira Gomes, who was a prominent Portuguese Catholic bishop in Porto from 1952 until Address: Rua de São Filipe de Nery, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Carlos Luis M C da Cruz D) Estatua de Ramalho Ortigão José Duarte Ramalho Ortigão was a Portuguese writer of the late 19th century. He spent his early years with his maternal grandmother in Porto. In 1862 he dedicated himself to journalism and became a literary critic on the Diário do Porto; he also contributed to several literary magazines. At this period romanticism was the dominant trend in Portuguese literature, led by several major writers, including Camilo Castelo Branco and Soares de Passos, who influenced Ortigão. Ortigão also worked as a translator. In 1874 he produced a Portuguese translation of the English satirical novel Ginx's Baby by Edward Jenkins. Address: Campo dos Martires da Patria, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Manuel de Sousa. Sight description based on Wikipedia. E) Hospital Geral de S.to António Hospital Geral de S.to António is located in central Porto. Built in 1779, it is the largest Neoclassic structure in the city. Engineer John Carr designed a rectangular facade, but this later changed. Although this building has great historical and architectural value, at the same time, it is one of the most modern hospitals in Portugal and provides quality health care to Porto Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 6 -

7 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 - residents. Address: Rua D. Manuel II, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Manuel de Sousa F) Reitoria da Universidade do Porto Reitoria da Universidade do Porto is a historic building located on Praça de Gomes Teixeira. This rectangular building initially served as the Royal Academy of Commerce. It was designed by Carlos Amarante in 1807, although his original design has been altered by multiple renovation projects. Today this building is home to several public institutions, including a university, museum and institute of anthropology. Address: Praça de Gomes Teixeira, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and UP G) Fonte dos Leões Fonte dos Leões is located on Plaza de Teixeira Gomes. This fountain is one of the most beautiful in all of Porto. In 1882 Porto developed a project designed to bring water to the city. As a result, Fonte dos Leões was built, providing the population from this part of the city with better access to water. Address: Praça de Gomes Teixeira, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Manuel de Sousa Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 7 -

8 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 - H) Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes is a square in central Porto. This square was built to commemorate the commander of the Volunteer Firemen of Porto - Guilherme Gomes Fernandes. This particular square was finished in 1915 by Papa Bento Cândido Silva. Address: Praça Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Henrique Matos I) Praça de Carlos Alberto Praça de Carlos Alberto is a square in Porto that has served as the location of a market since it was first built. In 1874 the first American car in Porto drove on this square. At the beginning of 19th century, several monuments were added to the square, and today Praça de Carlos Alberto is one of the city's most significant landmarks. Address: Praça de Carlos Alberto, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Manuel de Sousa J) Estátua Guerra Peninsular Estátua Guerra Peninsular is a monument that was built in memory of the heroes of the Peninsular War. Construction on the monument started in The original sculptor was Alves de Sousa, but he died before the monument was finished. It was completed by Henrique Moreira and Sousa Caldas in On the top of the column is a lion, which represents Portugal, dominating an eagle, which symbolizes Napoleon s empire. Address: Praça Mousinho de Albuquerque, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Tuga9890 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 8 -

9 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 - K) Casa da Musica (must see) Casa da Música is a major concert hall space in Porto. It was designed by the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. The building was only finished in 2005 and immediately became an icon in the city. Casa da Música was built just across from one of the main traffic and business centres of the city. Although construction ran four years over schedule and cost roughly 100M, the building process brought new engineering challenges to create its unusual configuration. The building's design has been highly acclaimed worldwide. Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic from the New York Times, classified it as the "most attractive project the architect Rem Koolhaas has ever built" and saying it's "a building whose intellectual ardor is matched by its sensual beauty". Casa da Música has two main auditoriums, though many other areas of the building can very easily be adapted for concerts and other musical activity. In 2006 at the top of the building a restaurant was opened. Address: Av. da Boavista 4149, 4150 Aldoar, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Flickr and Pedro Paulo Palazzo. Sight description based on Wikipedia. L) Cemitério de Agramonte A historic cemetery in Porto, Portugal, the Cemitério de Agramonte was established in 1855 as a result of one of the largest cholera outbreaks in history. This municipal cemetery in the 1870s started to allow the installation of monuments which attracted more prestigious families to the facility to bury their dead. Prior to the construction of this cemetery, funerals were typically held at the local churches and subsequently, burials took place in either the catacombs or church graveyards. Catacombs were first established during the era of the Roman Empire. Typically, they were chambers dug beneath the ground in a complicated system of tunnels under church facilities. Religious graveyards were usually located directly adjacent to a church building and they were used to bury the members of the church community. It wasn t until 1835 that municipal cemeteries became commonplace in the city of Porto. Prior to the construction of the municipal cemeteries, graves were marked typically with simple nameplates or a simple flat headstone but, with the birth of the municipal graveyards, came the installation of large familial mausoleums and monuments erected in honor of the beloved deceased. This cemetery is Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 9 -

10 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 10 - well worth the trip to see the exquisite honorary erections for the families of Porto. Address: Rua de Agramonte, 4050, Porto, Portugal Image Courtesy of Flickr and tantonr Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 10 -