It is the heart of the city, where heads of state are received, victories are celebrated and important dates such as New Year or St. John are commemorated.
In fact, the space that is commonly known as Avenida dos Aliados and includes Praça da Liberdade (south) and General Humberto Delgado Square on the north side where the City Hall is located. The central location and its dimensions are ideal to welcome thousands of people, being therefore the chosen place to celebrate great moments of the city.
Granite predominates in the buildings, many of them true works of art built during a golden age of Porto. Plans to make this place a public square go back to the seventeenth century, but it would take several years before the works progressed. The agricultural fields gave way to more modern streets, but it would only be in the nineteenth century for this place to become the political, economic and social center of the city. Cafes and taverns occupied a space which later was replaced by banks and offices and today, in addition to terraces and restaurants, it also houses hotels and shops, as well as statues and sculptures that contrast with the water reflection and granite pavement of recent construction.
The works of the avenue began in 1916, with the demolition of the previous municipal buildings. The new City Hall results from a project of the architect Correia da Silva dating back to 1920, but the installations were only completed in the 50’s.
However, in the 21st century, due to the construction of an underground station in the Aliados, the space would once again be remodeled in a project by the architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura.
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