Viana do Castelo

The holding of the Expo 98 on the shores of the river Tagus, served to raise awareness for the potential of waterfronts warning to its value as a lever for the qualification of cities. Northwards, Viana do castelo is the testimony of how a city with a long history, knows how to take advantage of this opportunity and draws to itself great names in the Portuguese architecture field.

The Municipal Library, designed by Álvaro Siza is the most representative building of this operation. Under construction is the Multipurpose Pavilion designed by Souto Moura.

Slightly inland, Ponte de Lima is one of the examples of best preserved medieval towns in Portugal. Here, the recent intervention in the historic centre, by João Álvaro Rocha, is a good example of sensitivity and discretion, in using a contemporary architectural language without destroying the memory of the place.