Port of Póvoa de Varzim
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The Port of Póvoa de Varzim is a seaport built in Enseada da Póvoa Bay in the city of
Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portuguese city in Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. In 2001, there were 63,470 ...
in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
. During the Middle Ages, it was known as Port of Varzim (''Porto de Veracim'' in
Old Portuguese Galician-Portuguese ( gl, galego-portugués or ', pt, galego-português or ), also known as Old Portuguese or as Medieval Galician when referring to the history of each modern language, was a West Iberian Romance language spoken in the Middle ...
). Once used for trade and shipbuilding, it is currently used for fishing and recreation, with a marina located within its breakwaters. The port was fundamental to the establishment of Póvoa de Varzim as a municipality in 1308 and the development of the town. During the Middle Ages, its profitability attracted knights, kings and the Church. In this small bay the local fishermen developed the Poveiro boats and Povoan knowledge of the seas and shipbuilding were substantial during the
Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (or the Age of Exploration), also known as the early modern period, was a period largely overlapping with the Age of Sail, approximately from the 15th century to the 17th century in European history, during which seafarin ...
. After 1000 years of recorded history and continuous use, the port of Póvoa de Varzim became a notable and prosperous fishing port in the 18th century due to its fishermen's seafaring and fishing expertise, considered the best in Portugal. The north
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
, the main one, is known as "Paredão" (Portuguese for "Big Wall"). It was first built in 1795 and rebuilt in the following centuries. The most important works on the port were made during the Salazar regime in the early 20th century; the current configuration of the port corresponds to that New State project. The port is protected by the north breakwater, heading south-southwest, which has a
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...
with a red flashing light and a siren. The south breakwater heads north-northwest; it has a long-flashing green light.


History


The medieval port

Archaeological data around the port of Póvoa de Varzim date to the Roman period. A Roman fish factory could have existed in the area of Junqueira, bordering the port, where a number of artifacts were found. A factory is known, with certainty, in the northern area of the city near the cove of
Lagoa Beach Lagoa Cove (''Enseada da Lagoa'') or Lagoa Beach (''Praia da Lagoa'' in Portuguese, lit. "Lagoon Beach") is an extensive crescent-shaped maritime beach of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, Repúb ...
. The historical records of the seaport dates to the 11th century, when the sheltered bay started being regularly used by ships due to its sheltered characteristics. In the 11th century, Guterre Pelayo became the Lord of Varzim. According to the ''Livro Velho de Linhagens'', the Ancient Book of Ancestries, he acquired the port of Varzim and several other possessions from
Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
,
Count of Portugal The County of Portugal ( pt, Condado de Portugal, Condado Portucalense, Condado de Portucale; in documents of the period the name used was Portugalia) refers to two successive medieval counties in the region around Braga and Porto, today corresp ...
. Guterre was a decisive
Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...
captain during those years. One of the great-grandsons of Guterre Pelayo, Lourenço Fernandes da Cunha had great fortune in the town of Varzim and surrounding land. His family ruled the area as the Honour of Varzim (''honrra de Veracim''), a knights honour. Sancho, as king of Portugal, disliked the power Lourenço got, as such the king ordered the destruction of several of his properties and took over most of the land. In the 1220 inquiries it was said that in the Royal Land of Varzim, a royal butler area, there were 20 families, who gave to the King, when he came into town, 6 dinheiros for the stay; and by Royal Charter, if they did not go to the sea on Friday, they paid 5 mealhas (small copper coin with little value); and paid from the fisheries, the ''navão'' (one fish for each boat). One of the sons of ''Dom'' Lourenço was Gomes Lourenço, very influential knight and godfather of
King Denis Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, and ...
.Estudos de Cronologia: Os mais antigos documentos escritos em português - Instituto Camões
/ref> ''Dom'' Gomes Lourenço, as it is deduced from his personal 1290 Inquiries, took advantage of his relationship with important people in order to get the recognition of the seaport of Varzim, located in Lower Varzim, as his honour. He tried to convince King Denis, that the King's father,
Afonso III Afonso III (; rare English alternatives: ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse''), or ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese), ''Alfonso'' or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin), the Boulonnais ( Port. ''o Bolonhês''), King of Portugal ( ...
, took it from him unfairly. In this way, ''Dom'' Gomes and his descendants, who are part of the honour of Varzim, went to the seaport and got the ''navão'' from the fishermen, justifying the attitude with the honor. By this, King Denis granted a Royal Charter to Varzim in 1308, ordering some local inhabitants to build a maritime settlement (''Póvoa''), he promoted farming development and the use of the seaport for the transport of production such as bread, wine and salt, but also fisheries from which the king took the best profits "the whale, the dolphin or royal belongings", that is, the most profitable catches. One of the terms of the charter ordered the inhabitants who brought bread, wine, salt or sardines, when unloading ferries or vessels in the port of Póvoa de Varzim, granted for each ferry or vessel, 7
soldo The soldo was an Italian medieval silver coin, issued for the first time in the late 12th century at Milan by Emperor Henry VI. The name derives from the late Roman coin ''solidus''. It quickly became widespread in Italy, where it was coined ...
s. These were the customs rights that belonged to the king and substituted the ''navão'' (a fish in each boat). Pinho Leal, in the book Portugal Antigo e Moderno (1876), stated that
Castelo da Póvoa The Castelo da Póvoa (English: Castle of Póvoa), also Fortress of Póvoa de Varzim, officially ''Fortaleza da Nossa Senhora da Conceição'' or Nossa Senhora da Conceição Fortress, is a Portuguese fortress in Póvoa de Varzim rebuilt during the ...
fort, was built in the 15th century, during the reign of
John I of Portugal John I ( pt, João uˈɐ̃w̃ 11 April 1357 – 14 August 1433), also called John of Aviz, was King of Portugal from 1385 until his death in 1433. He is recognized chiefly for his role in Portugal's victory in a succession war with Casti ...
in order to protect the port.


Age of Discovery

In the 16th century, the fishermen started to work in maritime activities, as pilots or seafarers in the crew of the Portuguese ships, due to their high nautical knowledge. The fishermen of the region are known to fish in Newfoundland since, at least, 1506. In 1547, a registry of ships docking or leaving the port was made by the main guard Annes Cadilhe, in which an English ship was especially noticeable. In the seaport documents, the construction of a notable ship is documented: the warship N.S. de Guadalupe built in Póvoa sheltered bay, with Povoan Diogo Dias de São Pedro as captain, who gained fame in the squadron that gettered in Lisbon to restore
Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it seventh-most populous state of Brazil and with around 98,148 km², being the 19 ...
on March 15, 1631, that the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
captured in 1630. The
carrack A carrack (; ; ; ) is a three- or four- masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal. Evolved from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade fr ...
was constructed by Povoan merchants and Captain Diogo Dias did not want to accept the government's gratifications, and paid the crew with his own money, who followed him with dedication and courage. Years later, the carrack returned to the port, after trading in
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
. His brother, António Cardina, Póvoa de Varzim's town hall judge, was the main pilot of the Portuguese armada and gained notability in the defense and liberation of the city of Bahia, also captured by the Dutch. In the 17th century, there was an increase in shipbuilding activities and a significant part of the population worked as Ribeira carpenters (shipbuilders) or related activities.


Golden Age of Fishing

220px, Fishing boats near the breakwater. In the 17th century, fishing activities started to be of significant economic value with the salted fish business, and in the 18th century, Póvoa became, by far, the largest fish market in Northern Portugal supplying even inland provinces. Carvalho da Costa, in Corografia Portugal, of 1706, stated that the ''Town of Póvoa de Varzim is an ancient settlement, with sheltered bay harbour, in which in ancient times ships docked and left, Dom Guterre, of the Cunha branch, was its lord...''. The Nossa Senhora da Lapa Brotherhood, founded in 1761 by the fishermen, got a charter in which they got authorization to build their homes in "chãos da areia", giving rise to a new and planned fisher quarter around the port of Póvoa de Varzim. In the ''Memorias economicas da Academia real das sciencias de Lisboa'' (Economic memories of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Lisbon) it states that the fishermen of Póvoa de Varzim are the most frequent in all the Minho coast, and were the most experts and with most practice from
Cape St. Vincent Cape St. Vincent ( pt, Cabo de São Vicente, ) is a headland in the municipality of Vila do Bispo, in the Algarve, southern Portugal. It is the southwesternmost point of Portugal and of mainland Europe. History Cape St. Vincent was already sacr ...
to
Caminha Caminha () is a municipality in the north-west of Portugal, 21 km north from Viana do Castelo, located in the Viana do Castelo District. The population in 2011 was 16,684, in an area of 136.52 km². Caminha is subdivided into 14 civil pa ...
, with a sizable number of fishermen, ships and fishing devices, and the result is a very considerable quantity of caught fish, stating that "''The fishermen of Póvoa de Varzim are always at sea, they are not happy with coastal fisheries, and they get fish from seas, that are ten or twelve leagues away from the town.''" In 1789, there were 1340 fishermen. One of the caught fish inventory by Povoans noticed that, for instance, for the year of 1866, the product of transactions made in Póvoa, directly by the fishermen and fish traders, summed up 230 000$000 réis and the result of the fish sold from Caminha to
Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, west ...
valued 180 000$000 réis. The taxes paid in the fiscal station was of 5000$000 réis. Yearly Póvoa supplied the city of Porto with 1600 barrels of sardine and over 3000 loads of fish. However, the number of loads to Minho, Trás-os-Montes, and Beira Alta was inestimable. It was said that "''the people who know Póvoa are sure that if, in any statistical map, could be truly accounted the importance of exported fish to those provinces, not much people would believe in it, because they would be marveled.''" The historical seaport lighthouses,
Farol da Lapa Farol da Lapa (Portuguese for Lighthouse of (the) Lapa) is a lighthouse in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, on the seaport of Póvoa de Varzim in Póvoa Bay. History The first historical reference to the town's light (''sinal da Vila'') is from th ...
and
Farol de Regufe Farol de Regufe or Regufe Light is a lighthouse in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal, located in the city neighborhood of Regufe, origin of the lighthouse's naming. History It is known that the construction of Farol de Regufe, also occasionally named ...
, were built in the 19th century. By getting the alignment between the two points of light, the fishermen knew that the boat was in the strait corridor between dangerous underwater rocks and sandbank, where they could cross safely in an area where numerous fishermen lost their lives in the course of several generations. However, the town's light is known since the 16th century.


Seaport works pleas

In 1939, Salazar ordered the construction of the new breakwaters which still stand today. In the 18th century, another document stated: "There is in this town one of the best sheltered bays in this kingdom; the nature formed it, according to the One who created it, and, with artwork that would improve it, by orders of the king and lord, it would be a marvel in Europe. Queen Maria I authorized the construction works on the seaport in February 1791. French engineer Reinald Oudinot was responsible for the construction under orders of the shire's ''corregedor'' Francisco de Almada e Mendonça. In 1792, a dock, known as ''Caldeira da barra'', was built at the estuary of a rivulet. The construction of the northern breakwater started in 1795. The construction works were incomplete as a south breakwater was needed, near the sandbank, in order to reduce the ocean currents strength. The northern breakwater that was built during this period became known as ''Paredão de D. Maria I'' (The Great Wall of Queen Maria I), in later periods as ''Paredão de D. Luis I'', after small construction works during the reign of
Louis I of Portugal Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...
in the 19th century. In the beginning of the 19th century, renovation works on the breakwater were needed as it was in ruins. Works started, but slowly due to financial constraints. On March 11, 1825, the necessity of works in the port was addressed by the town hall. And with ''Corregedor'' José Joaquim Rodrigues de Bastos orders, works resumed in August. The breakwater reconstruction ended in 1826. In 1857, the town hall asked the king for a sheltered harbour, stating: "It would be in Portugal a port so good, better than Vigo's. Nevertheless, the liberal regime paid no attention to the Povoan pleas. Due to the aggregation of Póvoa's harbour, in the beginning of the 20th century and the construction of an artificial port, the
Port of Leixões A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
, a significant part of the fisher population moved to the area surrounding it. Emigration to several areas, especially Brazil, Angola and other areas in Portugal, was considerable during this period. Caetano Vasques Calafate (1890 - 1963) managed the propaganda and funding needed for the construction of the ''Casa dos Pescadores da Póvoa de Varzim'' (The Fishermen House), siding Lapa Light, in 1926. This was the first fishermen house in Portugal. On March 11, 1937, the Corporatist Estado Novo regime established the laws for the creation of fishermen houses in all fisher areas throughout the country. After 200 years of pleas by Povoans, it was under Salazar's Estado Novo regime that the seaport works resumed. Works started in 1939 and ended in the 1950s, with stone extracted from a quarry which later became a small lake named
Lagoa da Pedreira Lagoa da Pedreira (English: Quarry Lake), also known simply as Pedreira or Lagoa da Póvoa de Varzim is a small lake in the city of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal.Casa dos Poveiros in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
, Apílio Oliveira, who wrote to Salazar under the intermediation of the Portuguese embassy in Rio.


Recent developments and the sandbank issue

At the end of the 1990s, the city hall had gaming taxes collected in
Casino da Póvoa 280px, Casino da Póvoa Francisco.almeida.23 on instagram. Casino da Póvoa (English: Póvoa Casino) is a casino located in Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. It is a gaming and entertainment venue since early 1930s, the building has a Garnier-inspire ...
and available to be used, something that was not possible before. The city used the funds for further works on the seaport, improving it with piers, leisure venues and the construction of a marina in 1999 near the south breakwater, the location of the shipyard in the 20th century. Nevertheless, the sandbank, a traditional spot where several fishermen died, including the great shipwreck of 1892, continued to be a significant safety problem, and several fishermen moved to other ports, namely Galician ones. The port's south breakwater also showed aging signs and was recovered in 2009. The ''Associação Pró-Maior Segurança dos Homens do Mar'', with its headquarters in the port, was formed by the fishermen in order to pressure further developments on the seaport and safety at sea, including the complete recovery of it and a permanent solution to the sandbank, something that can be achieved by the enlargement of the north breakwater.


Fish market

The fish market is managed by Docapesca Portos e Lotas S.A. which holds 20 fish markets. The fish market is, along with the Viana do Castelo Fish Market, part of the Northern Delegation of the company which is located in the Port of Póvoa de Varzim, it also includes seven small selling posts in smaller traditional fishing communities. Póvoa de Varzim Fish Market, in Póvoa de Varzim Captaincy, has two dependent selling posts (Vila do Conde and Vila Chã, both in Vila do Conde Captaincy). The access to the fish market is available to traders registered in Docapesca and have an infrared remote control or online access license, although only presentational trading is available. According to the 2010 statistics by DocaPesca, the five most sold species were ''
Sardina pilchardus The European pilchard (''Sardina pilchardus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus ''Sardina''. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines. This common species is found in the northeast ...
'', ''
Octopus vulgaris The common octopus (''Octopus vulgaris'') is a mollusc belonging to the class Cephalopoda. ''Octopus vulgaris'' is one of the most studied of all octopus species, and also one of the most intelligent. It ranges from the eastern Atlantic, extends ...
'', ''
Merluccius merluccius ''Merluccius merluccius'', the European hake, is a merluccid hake of the genus '' Merluccius''. Other vernacular names include Cornish salmon and herring hake. It is a predatory species which was often netted alongside one of its favoured prey, t ...
'', ''
Trisopterus luscus ''Trisopterus luscus'' (; bib, pout whiting, pout or most commonly pouting) is a seafish belonging to the cod family (Gadidae The Gadidae are a family of marine fish, included in the order Gadiformes, known as the cods, codfishes, or true cod ...
'', and ''
Trachurus trachurus The Atlantic horse mackerel (''Trachurus trachurus''), also known as the European horse mackerel or common scad, is a species of jack mackerel in the family Carangidae, the jacks, pompanos and trevallies. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean ...
'', weighing 1,625,469 kg and valuing €2,714,966, with €1.67 as average price, ranging as low as €0.46 for sardines and the octopus was traded at an average of €2,62. In 2011, sales of these species increased and the most traded species were ''Octopus vulgaris'', ''Sardina pilchardus'', ''Merluccius merluccius'', ''Trachurus trachurus'', and ''Trisopterus luscus'' weighing 1,732,105 kg and valuing €3,086,235, with €1.78 as average price ranging from €0.54 for sardines and €2.56 for octopuses.


Marina

Póvoa Marina is a public marina using floating pontoons built by the City Hall of Póvoa de Varzim in June 1999 according to a project by Clube Naval Povoense, the local
yacht club A yacht club is a sports club specifically related to yachting. Description Yacht clubs are mostly located by the sea, although there some that have been established at a lake or riverside locations. Yacht or sailing clubs have either a mari ...
, and the management of the area was delivered by the city hall to the club. The marina is financially self-sustainable and is a nautical activities support marina, that should not be confused with real estate equipments called "marina" found in Southern Portugal, and the access to the docks are restricted. It has a growing popularity, especially noticeable in Northern Portugal and has a planned expansion to the area near
Casino da Póvoa 280px, Casino da Póvoa Francisco.almeida.23 on instagram. Casino da Póvoa (English: Póvoa Casino) is a casino located in Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. It is a gaming and entertainment venue since early 1930s, the building has a Garnier-inspire ...
. Currently, it has a maximum capacity of 600 boats, including land parking and has over 241 berths, travel-lift (35 ton) and a crane (6.3 ton), tidal grade, 24-hour surveillance, bar, restaurant and other services. It is characterized by its social lifestyle and plurality, it is visited by mariners from all over the world, that number the thousands in a single year and stay there for several months or years. Passing seaman anchoring in the marina, according to main nationality in a recent year, were from the United Kingdom (35%), France (15%), Portugal (10%), Netherlands (8%), Spain (8%), Germany (8%), and Sweden (4%).


Lota park

Lota (in Portuguese it literally means "fish market" and used as such until the 1990s) is a land area within the port of Póvoa de Varzim, near the North Breakwater. In the past, it was a beach where the fish was landed and sold, named Praia de Peixe (Fish Beach), possibly because of the excessively fine sand or its use it was not popular with beach-goers, unlike nearby Praia de Banhos (Baths Beach) with larger sand grains and used by tourists since the 18th century. It was also the location of Ribeira shipyard. After rehabilitation in the late 1990s, it became a leisure area including a recreation square in front of Casino da Póvoa, with the Lota Auditorium, playgrounds, walkway, trendy establishments and, until recently, Lota Sk8 Parque to accommodate the significant skater community. In Lota, along the piers, there's also green areas for resting.


Administration, policing and rescue station

Currently, the port of Póvoa de Varzim is considered a harbour for leisure activities, according to "Regulamento da Náutica de Recreio" (recreational boating regulation) and approved by the decree nr. 124 of 2004. The harbour master's office (''Capitania da Póvoa de Varzim'', Captaincy of Póvoa de Varzim), of the Portuguese Maritime Authority, is located in the casino da Póvoa square at Largo Dr. Vasques Calafate n. 1, which is also the location of the local command of the
maritime police Water police, also called harbor patrols, port police, marine/maritime police, nautical patrols, bay constables, river police, or maritime law enforcement or coastal police are police officers, usually a department of a larger police organizat ...
. The Póvoa de Varzim captaincy jurisdictional area includes the territorial waters, following the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 167 c ...
, the exclusive economic zone and the
continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...
, between the south breakwater of the port of Póvoa de Varzim to the estuary of Rio Alto. The ''Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos da Póvoa de Varzim'' (ISN Póvoa de Varzim) is the rescue station of Póvoa de Varzim, and is located in the port. The ISN was established as a private charity entity on April 21, 1892 by Queen Amélie under the name ''Real Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos'' (The Royal Institute of Rescue to Shipwreck victims). Earlier in the year, on February 27, a tragedy devastated the community. Seven ''lanchas poveiras'' wrecked in a storm and 105 fishermen were killed, just meters off the shore.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Port of Povoa de Varzim Ports and harbours of Portugal Geography of Póvoa de Varzim 11th-century establishments in Portugal Buildings and structures in Póvoa de Varzim Tourist attractions in Póvoa de Varzim Populated places established in the 11th century