Description of the attraction
Aveiro is a city with a rich historical past. It is also considered one of the most interesting cities in Portugal, and because of the many built canals, it is also called the "Venice of Portugal". The city is located on the Atlantic coast and is located 220 km from Lisbon.
The history of the city begins in the 10th century. Due to its close location to the ocean, Aveiro was a fairly large seaport, and was also famous for its fishermen. In addition to fishing, the population was still engaged in the extraction of salt, thanks to this industry, Aveiro began to flourish quickly. Initially, it was a small settlement, which received the status of a city in the 13th century. Aveiro was a successful city until the 16th century. In 1575, there was a violent storm that brought with it a lot of sand and silt and blocked the harbor. Today's Aveiro is flourishing again.
There are many architectural monuments in the city, some of which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Connoisseurs of medieval architecture should definitely visit the historic center of the city, where the city hall is located, Pasos do Conselo. The town hall was built in the 18th century in the Tuscan style, which is quite rare in Portugal. Not far from the city hall there is a pillar of shame - Pelorinho de Esgeira, built in the second half of the 18th century, and replacing another, more ancient pillar, erected at the beginning of the 16th century. In 1933, the pillar of shame was included in the list of local monuments.
