{"id":24931,"date":"2023-12-24T10:56:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-24T09:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/?p=24931"},"modified":"2023-12-17T20:08:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-17T19:08:17","slug":"aveiro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fromplacetoplace.travel\/portugal\/regiao-centro\/aveiro\/","title":{"rendered":"A day in Aveiro"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Venice of Portugal” – it just sounds like a place you shouldn’t miss. We took the train to Aveiro for a day trip in beautiful sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Aveiro is only around 60 kilometres south of Porto, directly on the Atlantic Ocean. A train runs directly from Porto to the beautiful city. The journey is relaxing and I enjoyed looking out of the window and catching a great view of the sea again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kanal<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A look at the history of Aveiro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The town’s excellent location by the sea was a decisive advantage for its development. Sea trade, fishing and later salt production not only led to a steady increase in the population, but the town also soon became economically significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rathausplatz<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1575, the town’s economy collapsed completely unexpectedly when the harbour entrance was so silted up after a major storm that shipping was barely possible. The population tried several times to create a new harbour entrance, but it always turned out to be a futile endeavour. The population fell to around 3,500 by the end of the 18th century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Barra Nova was built in the 19th century. This opening to the ocean (1808) made it possible to create a 264 metre-long canal that once again connected the city directly to the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was not until 1864, with the opening of the railway line from Lisbon to Porto and the construction of a railway station in Aveiro, that economic development in the city began to recover. Industrialisation set in and the population began to grow again. The former economic sectors such as salt extraction and fishing have since lost their importance. Today, the city is surrounded by factories such as Renault and Bosch, as well as paper manufacturing and wood and cork processing companies. The city’s harbour is an important logistics location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Aveiro\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Another economic factor that should not be underestimated today is tourism. The three canals Canal de S\u00e3o Roque, Canal das Pir\u00e2mides and Canal dos Santos M\u00e2rtires have given the city the nickname “Venice of Portugal” and attract visitors. Admittedly, we also “only” travelled to the city to take a canal tour and were pleasantly surprised at how many beautiful places there were to discover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Places of interest in Aveiro<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first surprise awaited us at Aveiro railway station. The old railway station building stands right next to the new modern station. Like so many buildings in Portugal, it has been designed with the typical blue and white azulejos to create what I think is an unmistakable work of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the side of the railway tracks you can read the lettering Aveiro. However, I find the design on the city side even more beautiful. Here, the tiles show various motifs relating to Aveiro, for example important people or sights. Today, the old station building is used for art exhibitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"historischer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A wide road leads from the railway station directly into the city. To the right and left of the road are Art Nouveau houses right next to new buildings – a wild architectural mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museum De Santa Joana Aveiro<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Aveiro Museum displays an important collection of works of painting, sculpture, carving, tiling and goldsmithing. It is located in a former Dominican convent. This convent dates back to the second half of the 15th century and from 1472 Princess D. Joana, daughter of King D. Afonso V. The princess, who led a very pious life, was beatified in 1693.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Museum<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In 1834, Minister Joaquim Ant\u00f3nio de Aguiar ordered the closure of religious orders in the kingdom. This order was immediately implemented in the male convents, but in the female convents, cloistering was permitted until the death of the last nun. The Aveiro Museum was established in the monastery building in 1911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We particularly liked the architecture with the cloister, the refectory and the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Igreja de S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o Evangelista<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the churches that particularly impressed us during our visit to Aveiro is the Carmelite Church on Marqu\u00eas de Pombal Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ehemaliges<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the outside, it looks very inconspicuous and the neighbouring former monastery building looks very run-down. Once you step through the door into the church, the picture is completely reversed. I haven’t seen many church naves as impressive as this one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kirche<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Construction of the church began in 1704 and was completed over the course of the 18th century. Gilded carvings, tiles, paintings and sculptures wherever you look. I am particularly fascinated by the gilded wood carvings, which can be categorised into three different phases: Proto-Baroque, Johannine Baroque and Rococo. Everywhere on the walls and also on the ceiling, I discover paintings with ecclesiastical motifs framed by the carvings. This is always very unusual for me, even in Portuguese churches there are beautifully crafted blue and white tiles. In the Igreja de S\u00e3o Jo\u00e3o Evangelista, the walls are decorated with tile paintings up to about the height of the doorposts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n