Viana do Castelo

The Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alto Minho (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈaltu ˈmiɲu]) is an administrative division in northern Portugal. It is situated between the Minho River and Lima River. It was created in October 2008. Since January 2015, Alto Minho is also the designation of a NUTS3 subregion of Norte Region, that covers the same area as the intermunicipal community. The main town of the intermunicipal community is Viana do Castelo. The intermunicipal community is coterminous with the Viana do Castelo District. The population in 2011 was 244,836, in an area of 2,218.84 km².It borders to the north the Galicia autonomous region in Spain and to the south with the Cávado intermunicipal community. It is an area with a strong gastronomic identity and produces a specific type of wine called Vinho Verde (young wine).

The Citânia de Santa Luzia (also known as the Old City of Santa Luzia) is an archaeological site of the Castro culture located in the Portuguese civil parish of Areosa in the municipality of Viana do Castelo. Its construction dates from the Iron Age, and it shows evidence of occupation during the Roman period. The Castro was first dug in 1876 by Joaquim Possidonio Narciso da Silva. Only about one third of the structures have been dug, with the remaining part being under or destroyed during the construction of the nearby hotel (1900 - c. 1910), church (1904 - 1943), and respective roads. The site also included a possibly medieval chapel dedicated to Saint Lucy which persisted, after some reconstructions, until 1926 when it was destroyed to give way to the Saint Lucy Church of Miguel Ventura Terra.

The Viana do Castelo District (Portuguese: Distrito de Viana do Castelo [viˈɐnɐ ðu kɐʃˈtɛlu] ) is a district located in the northwest of Portugal, bordered on the north by Spain (Galicia) and on the south by Braga District. It has an area of 2,255 km2 (871 sq mi) and a population of 252,011 (2006), for a density of 111.8 inhabitants/km2. The district capital is the city of Viana do Castelo.

The Cathedral of St. Mary the Great (Portuguese: Sé Catedral de Santa Maria Maior) also called Viana do Castelo Cathedral is a Catholic church and fortress built in the fifteenth century, which preserves a Romanesque appearance and is located in the city of Viana do Castelo in Portugal.Its facade is flanked by two large towers topped by battlements and highlights its beautiful Gothic portal with archivolts with sculpted scenes from the Passion of Christ and sculptures of the Apostles. It is a Romanesque church with a Latin cross and inside is separated by three arches supported on pillars ships. It is classified as Imóvel of Public Interesse. Inside, are the chapels of St. Bernard (by Fernão Brandão) and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, attributed to stonemason, João Lopes the "old".

Gil Eannes is a former Portuguese hospital ship, now permanently moored in the Port of Viana do Castelo, serving as museum ship and youth hostel. The official name of the ship is written according to the old spelling of the Portuguese language, but occasionally it appears written with the modern spelling Gil Eanes. Between 1955 and 1973, Gil Eannes was the flagship of the Portuguese White Fleet that operated in the codfish fishing in the seas of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and Greenland. As the flagship of the White Fleet and besides her main function as hospital ship, Gil Eannes served also as maritime authority, mail ship, tug, icebreaker and general support ship for the Portuguese fishing vessels.

The Alto Minho Wind Farm in the Viana do Castelo district, of Portugal, became fully operational in November 2008, when Portugal's Economy Minister Manuel Pinho inaugurated it. At the time of completion, it was Europe's largest on-shore wind farm. The wind farm began generating electricity in 2007, with production increasing as more wind turbines came online, reflecting the modular nature of wind farms. The wind farm consists of 68 Enercon E-82 2MW wind turbines and 52 Enercon E-70 E4 2MW turbines, totaling 136 MW and 104 MW, respectively, for a grand total of 240 MW of nameplate capacity. The wind farm will produce 530 GWh annually, avoiding 370,000 tonnes (410,000 tons) of carbon dioxide emissions.In December 2013, there were 4731 MW of Wind Power installed and operational in Portugal.

The Fort Santiago da Barra de Viana do Castelo (Forte de Santiago da Barra in Portuguese) also referred to as Castle Santiago da Barra (Castelo de Santiago da Barra in Portuguese) and Castle São Tiago Maior da Barra (Castelo de São Tiago Maior da Barra in Portuguese) is located in the parish of Santa Maria Maior, Monserrate, and Meadela, in the city of Viana do Castelo in Portugal. In a dominant position on the right bank of the bar of the river Lima, its purpose was to defend the anchorage and village of Viana da Foz, now the city of Viana do Castelo. It was once one of the most important fortresses in the northwestern coast of Portugal. It is classified as a Property of Public Interest by Decree published on 24 January 1967.The Viana do Castelo Hotel and Tourism School founded in 2007 currently operates in the fort.

Ponte Eiffel is a multi-level road–rail bridge crossing the Lima River in Viana do Castelo, Portugal. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel. The structure is a candidate to the classification as a National Monument.

The Lima River (Portuguese name; known as Limia in Spanish and Galician) runs west from the autonomous community of Galicia in Spain to Portugal, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean at Viana do Castelo, covering 108 kilometres (67 mi).

Areosa is a civil parish located in the municipality (concelho) of Viana do Castelo, in northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 4,853, in an area of 14.11 km².

The Castro of Vieito (Portuguese: Castro do Vieito) is an archaeological site of the Castro culture of northwestern Iberian Peninsula, situated on the right margin of the Lima River estuary, in the civil parish of Perre, municipality of Viana do Castelo.

The Battle of Cerneja took place at Cernesa (Cerneja), an unidentified site in Galicia, in 1139/40, between the County of Portugal and the Kingdom of León.In the aftermath of the Portuguese victory at the Battle of São Mamede (1128), the Portuguese count, Afonso Henriques, began a concerted effort to establish his independence, growing increasingly uncomfortable sharing power with his mother, Countess Theresa, who was supported by the Galician nobility and her lover, Fernando Pérez de Traba. The Chronica Adefonsi imperatoris notes that "prior to this, the Portuguese monarch had come to Galicia several times, but always he had been driven back by Fernando Pérez and Rodrigo Vélaz and other Galician leaders. Often he was forced to return to Portugal dishonored." Between 1137, when he signed the Treaty of Tui, recognising Alfonso VII of León as his suzerain, and 1139 Afonso declared himself King of Portugal. In that year, or more probably the next (1140), Afonso gathered an army and marched into Galicia, camping near Limia. Fernando Pérez, who controlled western Galicia, and his ally Rodrigo Vélaz, who controlled the east, summoned the other Galician nobles, described as loyal men of Alfonso VII, to oppose the Portuguese advance. In the subsequent battle they were routed. The anonymous author of the Chronica, who attributes their defeat to their sins, recounts the expedition in one paragraph: Once more Alfonso, King of Portugal, gathered his army and went to Limia. When this news reached Galicia, Fernando Pérez and Rodrigo Vélaz and other of the Emperor's Galician nobles were summoned immediately. They marched out with their troops against the Portuguese King and met him at Cernesa. After the battle lines were drawn up, they began to fight. Because of their sins the Counts fled and were defeated. However, Rodrigo Vélaz was captured by some Portuguese knights. He was quickly freed by two of his armorbearers who used some clever stratagem, and thus he was able to flee with them.