The Póvoa de Varzim Thread

[PedroGabriel]

This thread is for Povoa news, development and city life in English language.

presentation of the city




distances:
downtown Povoa to downt. Porto: 28 km ---- freeway: A28
downtown Povoa to downt. Braga: 34 km ---- freeway: A28/A11
downtown Povoa to downt. Guimaraes: 39 km ---- freeway: A7
distance to the Spanish border: 58 km ---- freeway: A28
Downt. Povoa to Vigo (Sp) downt : 94km ---- freeway: A28/A11+A3



distance to Esposende Beach Natural Park: 10 km
distance to Vila do Conde Beach/Birdsighting Natural ParK: 5 km
distance to the Geres National Park: 60km

International Borders:
International airport (OPO - AFSC) 16km ---- A28 by road or Porto Metro by Light Rail/Tram-train line.
Póvoa Aerodrome (----- PUSML): 8 km
Póvoa Marina: 41° 22′N 08° 46 W

Population:
municipality: over 66,000
urban area: over 100,000 (winter) over 250,000 (summer) + suburban over 150,000
located in a polycentric 3 million people area (Coastal Northern Portugal)

More about the city: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Póvoa_de_Varzim

[PedroGabriel]

Construction of the new stadium will begin in June.
The construction of the new stadium for Varzim Sport Club, playing in the Honor League (second division), will begin until June, said to Lusa News Agency, the president of the club, Lopes de Castro.

According to the president, the beginning of construction depends on approval of the Detail Plan in the site of the current stadium - sold to Hagen constructions corporation - in the Municipal Assembly of Póvoa de Varzim.

"The approval of the plan in January was promise made by the city hall, and is the last of the formalities of this process", said Lopes de Castro.

Meanwhile, according to a source in the Communication Department of the city hall, the next meeting of the Municipal Assembly will be hold in "February or March" and is not currently part of the agenda.

The stadium, that will be built in the City Park, will have a capacity of 10,000 spectators, two supporting fields, and a football school department, Hagen is also responsible for the construction.

This was one of the deals during the selling of the old field of the "Sea Wolfs", in a business of over 29 million euros, and the club already got 2.9 million euros in advance and the right of soil over several apartments and stores.

The construction was to start in the first semester of 2008, but the company only accepts to start them if it has guarantees of the urbanization Detail Plan.

The stadium construction will last a year, and the club still hopes that will inaugurate it in 2010, the current stadium was inaugurated in 1945.

Lopes de Castro also hopes that an alteration to the Urbanization Plan of Povoa de Varzim allows the construction of a road in the city Park, essential to the future sport complex.

[PedroGabriel]

Oceanus Park is a project with 400 apartment and 50 street stores. Classified by the mayor as a "new centrality in the city" in the site of a previous large rope-making factory. The real estate project was designed by the Catalan architect Jordi Goula.

Oceanus Park wil be formed by six blocks, a great square-avenue, named "Alameda dos Oceanos" (Square-Avenue of the Oceans"), with green areas and 262 underground public parking. GeoPortugal, promoter of the project, expects it to be completed until 2012. The first buildings will be ready by 2009.

sales - http://www.azemedi.pt/ construction - http://www.ar-lindo.pt/

[PedroGabriel]

Tram-trains in September
2009-01-21
HUGO SILVA



The tram-trains will start operating next September. The new Metro do Porto vehicles will oblige Transdev, operator of the System, to reform the service, namely the Line of Póvoa de Varzim.

Five of the 30 vehicles that Metro do Porto bought for the longest lines are already in the Guifões Maintenance Park (Matosinhos). The circulation tests are already being done, but the entrance of the service was postponed to September, said Manuel Seabra, Transdev administrator. The vehicles await the ATP (Automatic Train Protection). The contract for the installation of that system will be signed by the Metro and the provider, refers the manager, who spoke during a visit to Tenerife Metro (Spain) to where much of the know-how of the Porto Metro service was exported.

The new service model is still being studied because of the tram-trains. One of the solutions is to increase the stops of the Express service, between Póvoa and Senhora da Hora. Even though the tram-trains can reach higher velocities, there are other slower vehicles that will do the normal service.

The constraints will make the time travels gains not to be very significant. Gata Luzia said, thought, the new vehicles will guarantee more service quality (more seats and more comfortable) and will substitute the Eurotram. The new vehicles wont be used in Line D, due that their dimensions wont adapt to the J tunel.

part of the current line in Póvoa de Varzim (Between the stations: Póvoa de Varzim and São Brás) the site is currently being urbanized as it was a segregated train line for over 100 years.


the current Eurotram vehicle that does the service. (picture also in Povoa). The lighthouse is Farol de Regufe, now deactivated and will be transformed into a museum.

[PedroGabriel]

SCROLL----------->

PHASE 2 - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The second phase of the Levant area of the Póvoa de Varzim City Park, destined to be a leisure area, was presented by the mayor, Macedo Vieira. The new area occupies a space of about 30 hectares, in a total of 78, siding the Avenida do Mar (Sea Avenue), half is reserved to this leisure area, that will integrate a way with 20 stops or stays.

In the equipment, are, according to the mayor, being crated structures to allow visits to the park to allow different sights. The Pedreiras Lake, with about 2 hectares, will be used as a water area.

The project, of the architect Sidónio Pardal and the execution program is of 2 years [ending in the June 2009 - Saint Peter's Day = Povoa day].

The city park's first phase, a sports area, was concluded recently, with the inauguration of the syntactic football fields, during the Saint Peter's festival, in June.

The Levant area of Póvoa de Varzim City Park, having less 12 hectares than Porto City Park, costs 5.8 million euros.

February 2009 pictures









A second artificial lake, an island, the Esteiro rivulet that comes from the hill in the background known as Cividade (due to the Castro-celtic city in its top),



Municipal stadium - first phase surrounded by hills and bushes.

Phase 3 - PROJECT

Sidónio Pardal draws the third phase of Póvoa City Park
19.06.2008

The City Hall of Póvoa de Varzim decided to order to the Technical Faculty of Lisbon, the project of the third phase of the City Park, that will cost, according to the mayor, 10 million euros (half of it to pay the soil rights and other half for construction). As for the project, the City hall will pay 88 thousand euros, and guarantee the continuity of Sidónio Pardal, the architect of Porto City Park, that, in Póvoa, already draw the first two phases of the project: the city sport complex and leisure park.

The third phase that Sidonio Pardal will draw contemplates an adaptation of the rocky cliffs of the old quarry, that became a huge lake over the years, the creation of fluid areas and parking areas, and the compatibility with the project of Varzim SC - the construction of a second stadium and two football fields - and a salvation area for the Clube Desportivo da Póvoa Sports Pavilion [Creating the Sports City]. When the city hall got some of the land, it had as selling promise to accept a new hotel, that will also be built in the city park.

Early project of all the park (it wont be like this because of the Varzim stadium, and a change in the project).

[PedroGabriel]

1940s map promoting the city's coast


Going to the beach in late 19th century/early 20th century


wikipedia picture collection (out of season pictures).

[PedroGabriel]

Ethnography and History Museum of Póvoa de Varzim reopens in February

Póvoa de Varzim, 12 Janeiro (Lusa) - After two years closed, the City Museum of Ethnography and History of Póvoa de Varzim will reopen in February, after a long intervention for its recovery and expansion, said to Lusa the Secretary of Culture of the City Hall.

"The lack of space was a major concern on the building, that was increased to allow better working conditions, and increase the exhibition areas and storing of the artifacts", said Luís Diamantino.

Solar dos Carneiros (Nobleman's Sun-house of the Carneiros) is a 17th century building, where that museum is located, it was expanded in backdoors, where there was some land available, no change was made to the facade, only some maintenance.

Along the new building, the construction works occurred also inside the museum, with a new library, more exhibition rooms, and reserve areas to "allow visits from historians and small groups", said the secretary.

The city hall will use the Correntes d'Escritas writers meeting, that will occur from February 11th to 14th, to inaugurate the area that will also house "diversified cultural activities, in a way to attract more visitors".

The Póvoa City Museum was founded by the Povoan Santos Graça, a politician and ethnographer, that was always located in Solar dos Carneiros, a nobleman's building rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century, later bought by the city hall in 1974. In 1985, it was declared by the national bureau of monuments as a Building of Public Importance.

Most of the artifacts in it are related to traditions of the sea-people and fishermen's art and work, fishing and lifeguard boats, religiosity and believes.

One of the artifacts that attracts most visitors is a real Lancha Poveira do Alto Boat known as "Cego do Maio", that has done numerous voyages in Portugal, Spain and France and will be exhibited in one of the rooms of that museum.

Along with The Museum, located in the medieval heart of the city, the city hall will also "refresh the museum areas located in Cividade de Terroso (Celtic city) and in the town of São Pedro de Rates", said Luís Diamantino.

architect: Rui Bianchi

[PedroGabriel]

Varzim Plaza Mar (in English Varzim's Sea Square) is a project from Hagen (bought to the Portuguese-Spanish DDC group, that won the project from other rival companies) in the site of the current Varzim SC stadium, soil was worth 29 million euros. The touristy location is located between Salgueira Beach with the trendy Avenida dos Banhos (Sunbath Avenue), to the South, and the small picturesque Lagoa Bay.

The project, earlier two twin towers, became a block and a small tower, where a shopping center and a hotel will be implemented. The shopping center will have only 20.000 m2. The architecture style follows the contemporary Portuguese architecture, the project will also include a public underground parking area.

Varzim Plaza Mar will include a new beach square, similar in nature to the popular Póvoa's Passeio Alegre Beach and esplanade square, located south of the city. The area will be completely close to traffic, and will include a gate to the nearby bullring, and with a significant treeline.

The project is still under consideration and is a sensible area, due to being close to the beach, highrise buildings built from the 1970s onwards and inefficient road pattern, the site also has remains of an ancient Roman fish factory.

http://varzimplazamar.com/ (still underconstruction)
http://www.hagen.pt/

preliminary renders











hopefully they'll change it

[PedroGabriel]

International Meeting of Póvoa de Varzim this weekend

The III Meeting Internacional da Póvoa de Varzim, in 7 to 8 of February, in the Swimming City Complex.

Some of the top world swimmers are in the startlist, such as American Ben Hesen and Italian Mirco di Tora. Tiago Venância, the Portuguese record holder that went to Beijing Olympics, will also attend the Povoan meeting. Attentions are also turned to Israel, as it is the first participation of the country since the Gaza conflict.

[Cracovia]

Originally Posted by PedroGabriel

The one with the Star is for Jews only...segregation still

[PedroGabriel]

no, that's not a Jewish symbol, that's a traditional Povoan family name which uses a proper writing system, it states that beach was delivered to their care and they are an old local family, they are the only ones allowed to do business there and they must clean their area. So the beach is for everybody. We dont have jews here, never did.

[PedroGabriel]

here's an article about that, already posted. It suits this thread.

Blazons of the poor enrich the city

Traditional marks used by families will be immortalized in street plates being placed in the main streets of Downtown Póvoa de Varzim. Fernando Gonçalves will be the responsible to create the 287 "art pieces".
00h30m
ANA TROCADO MARQUES

Behind the door of the fish market, in the Street of the Caverneira, in the heart of Bairro Sul (South district) in Póvoa de Varzim, Irene Costa keeps the old row of her father's boat. She shows with pride the Siglas Poveiras marks - a sort of family blazon of the fisher class - craved in wood. The symbols do not leave edge for doubts: cálix fechado, lanchinha and pique - " The Vianeses" (family).

Daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter of fishermen, explain that the acronym in the family exists for generations. The grandfather of the mother, Jose Gonçalves Vianez, died in the shipwreck of the " S. José" Lancha boat , in the entrance of Póvoa sandbank, in January 2nd of 1924. In the accident ten Poveiros [name of Povoa inhabitants] had died, with the desperate look of the masses of people that, in the beach, waited the men of the sea.

Vitoriana da Assunção, later known as " Porquinha" (Piggy, nickname that, as it is tradition, followed by future generations), was with eight children, in which Ana Assunção, mother of Susana da Costa and grandmother of Irene.

The mark of the Vianez family passed from parents to children - the father of Susana adopted the mark of the woman with who he married. Later, the women, who initially did not have right to the transmission of the familiar mark, had conquered this prerogative for the work they made in fish sales, in "Ala-arriba" beach boat anchor work and and net-making.

Of all her brothers, only Susana followed the fishing traditions, becoming the most popular and known fisherwomen in Póvoa.

"My mother started selling fish in the beach, later in the seaport fish market, and, much later, in the old town market", explains Irene. At 11, she stated to follow the steps of her mother. She remembers to mark each fish and each box with the family mark. It was a "property registration".

The "tourists", that came to Póvoa de Varzim seeking fresh fish, in the 1940s and 1950s, admired the marks and, often, "asked to take pictures".

"When the lanchas were gone and the motor boats came, the siglas stopped being used and the fish marks too", explained Irene.

Today, people no longer follow the transmission rules of father to children, but for Irene and Susana, now 87, the family mark is, similarly to other families, "a pride", as it proves being a fisher descendant and the mark of an ancient family, with traditions and history, that, while not being used as before, it keeps being passed from parents to children, craved in medals, rings and bracelets.

Honoring the fisher origins and "Póvoa's Soul", the city hall decided to adopt a new street sign model in the renovated urban areas: first in Mouzinho de Albuquerque Avenue (inaugurated in past June), and after that, in Pr. Almada Square, read by the end of the Summer.

"Each plate is a unique piece of art, hand painted. The blue, the color of the city, the siglas poveiras that are placed in "frame" position in the plate, remember our origins, and the pictures, boats and fishermen objects, our patrimony", explains, to the JN, the city's Culture secretary, Luís Diamantino. It his idea to immortalize "Póvoa's soul" in the new street plates.

"Boído street, for instance, has a 'poita' (ancient kind of anchor)", referred the secretary. The city hall has already decided that it will be placed 287 plates in all major downtown streets.
http://jn.sapo.pt/paginainicial/pais...ent_id=1070398

here is her family name in a street plate


here's some pictures of other plates:

[drowningman666]

quite a lot of projects for such a small town

[PedroGabriel]

The construction was delivered to the company Alberto Martins de Mesquita & Filhos for an average value of 4 million and 300 thousand euros, a value a lot lower than the estimated start value, in the order of 5 million and 400 thousand euros.

The construction has an execution plan of 14 months.

Located in downtown, Garrett Theater was built in late 19th century and is part of Povoan cultural memory. The years decreed its decline and degradation, the city hall took action and bought it in late 1990s.

With this intervention, the objective is to recover the image of the show room, with a vocation to theatrical plays and dance, music shows and even cinema, with the recovery of the facade, but presenting a modern image and suitable for a demanding public.

The new structure of the building also contemplates the creation of new accessibilities between all floors, the rationalization of the show room, whose total capacity will be 485 sits, the creation of a support room for receptions and small scale events and of a bar and esplanade area in the top of the building, new dressing rooms, new general structure of the stage and technical area, amongst other aspects. The intervention will still allow the rationalization of the security system, installation of a air conditioned system and execution of new technical electricity, water, telecommunication and computer technologies.

The exterior access, the public access will be made by José Malgueira Street, a pedestrian street, and the road access is also eased by the closeness of the Underground Park of the Mousinho de Albuquerque Avenue.

[PedroGabriel]

view towards the NORTH


view towards the SOUTH


The Bairro Sul - the Fishermen district

[PedroGabriel]

For Agros, having 3 thousand producers in Northern Portugal, this project represents a strong bet in the milk sector. Agros is a key part of Lactogal, the leading dairy company in the Iberian Peninsula.

The project for the new corporation center, will occupy 10% of a total 25 hectare area and will cost 40 million euros and will have several phases, the first phace will be complete in April 2009. This phase includes only the headquarters known as Energie Center.

The project includes several venues, including welfare areas for the elderly, a rural museum, a food laboratory, amongst other venues in a leisure rural park, that will be integrated in the expansion urban area of Póvoa de Varzim, taking place since eraly 21th century, as part of its planed rural park of Argivai.

The access of the Corporation Center to downtown will be made throw a suspended roundabout. The project is located in the intersection of the A28 (Porto-Povoa-Viana do Castelo) and A7 (Povoa-Guimarães) freeways.












Energie Center


Food Center


The Lab


The transportation Center

[Quintana]

Awesome thread! The stadium looks nice btw.

[PedroGabriel]

Originally Posted by Quintana

Awesome thread! The stadium looks nice btw.

thanks quintana! and watch out, Povoa is coming.

I was against the stadium in the park, but I now think its location is great, since it will be near the new avenues, right on the main entrance of the city (by the freeways). So it will give a rather cosmopolitan look to the city. The only thing missing is Varzim playing again on the premier league. And there will be too much football fields 2 stadiums, and each stadium has two extra fields outside them Varzim stadium should have any extra field, they can train on the city stadium complex.

[PedroGabriel]

Légua da Póvoa, located in Laundos area, that will respect the Carbon Zero principle. Is a pioneering project in Portugal, that along with its environmental benefits, will create 40 job positions and buit new accessibilities to the A28 freeway, that will also help its neighboring Barcelos Municipality. Under construction is the first phase of the project, and only when the accessibilities will be ready that the new landfill, and all the equipment and support buildings, will be built.

All the accessibilities are in conclusion. In February 2009, the Légua da Póvoa will start being built. In the summer of 2010, the environment Center of Laundos will be functioning.

José Macedo Vieira, the mayor of Póvoa de Varzim, stated that the preoccupation for the residues treatment was always important during his terms. With Légua da Póvoa this care for nature will take shape. The mayor stated that there will be great care for the surroundings of the landfill, turning it into a pleasant site and with green areas for Póvoa citizens. In fact, of the 60 hectares, 20 will be green areas.

The main activities of the new landfll will be: admitting residues, landfill operations (compaction and daily cover); motorization; remaining operations (Ecocenter; transfer station, large residues selection and ETAL); recycling transportation for LIPOR units; safeguard of the previous landfill; building draining wells.

Légua da Póvoa, built for the people, will have as symbol a green hear, that expresses the human part of this environmental project.

Accessibilities
investment: 2.2 M€


Légua da Póvoa
construction: 14.5 M€ - 20 M€
operation: 50 M€

[PedroGabriel]

Literature: 10th Annual Meeting of Writers of the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking world.
Expresso


Over 120 writers from Portugal, Spain, Africa and Latin America reunite today in Póvoa de Varzim to talk about literature, in the 10th edition of Correntes d'Escritas, the largest event of writers of the Iberian speaking world.


Until Saturday, themes as "Writing Changes", "I'm sick of words" and "It's literature everything that is not evident" will also include 10 debates with authors from 15 countries such as Lêdo Ivo (Brazil), Juan José Millás (Spain), Antonio Orlando Rodriguez (Cuba), Santiago Gamboa (Colombia), Corsino Fortes (Cape Verde) or Paulina Chiziane (Mozambique).


The official opening session took place, at 11 AM in the restructured City Museum of Ethnography and History of Póvoa de Varzim. The winner of Póvoa Casino Literary Prize, in the value of 20,000 euros, the Junior Prize, and Porto Editora Children stories Prize of 2009 were also unveiled.

During the afternoon, the Portuguese ministry of Culture, José António Pinto Ribeiro, will make the opening speech.

The City Auditorium is expected to be completely full for all the four coming days and 35 new books will be released. In Novotel Verman, the documentary "É Dreda ser Angolano", of Fazuma, and the film "Bad Born", by João Canijo, in the City Auditorium and a Book Fair, in the Youth House.

Correntes d’Escritas is an organization of the City Hall. With the support of Casino da Póvoa, Norprint, Novotel, Henrique Cayatte Design, Turismo de Portugal, BM Car, Instituto Cervantes, Porto Editora, Papelaria Locus, Casa da América Latina, Varazim Teatro and Cineclube Octopus.