UTAD: University's Botanical Garden
River Corgo escarps
Natural Park of Alvão
UTAD's Chapel: Historical center and part of Bothanical colection of Arcaic plants
City of Vila Real, Portugal
View of Vila Real from UTAD
The recorded history of Vila Real seems to begin in 1289 when the King D. Afonso III, granted the town a royal warrant. It was here that the explorer Diogo Cão was born and who later discovered in 1482 the entrance to the mouth of the River Congo in Africa.
Located at the converging point of two rivers it has always been a busy agricultural and commercial town, mainly based around the lucrative wine and port trade. Its main feature is its fine 15th Century Gothic Cathedral that was originally a church belonging to the Order of Dominicans whose Monastery was later completely destroyed in the 19th Century when there was a strong movement for the liberalisation of the country from the hold of both the church and old nobility. Nearby is the Igreja dos Clérigos, a church with an attractive Baroque facade and tiled interior. The Igreja de São Pedro is from the 16th Century and its interior is rich with many sculptures and sacred tiling. The Archaeological Museum of the town also has a large collection of coins covering all periods of history. The town of Vila Real is well known for its distinctive black toned coloured pottery whose origin is unspecified.
To the south of Vila Real is the stretch of the Rio Douro where most of the Port wine Lodges have their “Quintas”. This area is the home of the wines that are produced for the Port trade with multiple terraced vineyards dominated by houses that can date back as far as to the 15th Century. The drive is most spectacular and is some 125 Kms long with good overnight resting places and with some "Quintas" to visit with the opportunity to taste their port.
REGISTRATION
The following Institutions have been registered for the EULP Project. If you also want to be part of it please contact the EULP Assistant Katharina Erne:
eulp@landscape.tuwien.ac.at
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