VALENÇA
42° 1' 33" N; 8° 37' 58" W
It is the seat of a municipality with 117.13 km² in area and 14 127 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 11 parishes ( Boivão; Cerdal; Fontoura; Friestas; Gandra e Taião; União das Freguesias de Valença, Cristelo Covo e Arão; Ganfei; Gondomil e Sanfins; São Julião e Silva;
São Pedro da Torre; Verdoejo ).
The municipality is limited to the east by the municipality of Monção, to the south by Paredes de Coura, to the west by Vila Nova de Cerveira, and to the northwest and north by Galicia (municipality of Tui).
Valença is a walled town located on the left bank of Minho River, approximately 25 km from the Atlantic Ocean.
Distances:
Lisbon - 424 km
Porto - 118 km
Madrid (Spain) - 593 km
Viana do Castelo - 52 km
Braga - 74 km
Vigo (Spain) - 30 km
Vila Nova de Cerveira - 15 km
Linked to the wall rises the new quarter, where buildings such as social facilities, schools, the stadium, and sports center, the health care center, the municipal market, and the municipal swimming pools are located. Concerning cuisine, Valença offers genuine delicacies such as Lampreia à Minhota (lamprey), Cabrito à Sanfins (kid), Bacalhau à São Teotónio (dried codfish) and Empanada (meat or fish pie).
Valença origins date back to Roman times. The two existent Roman roads are the proof (the Via IV of Antonine Itinerary XIX, of military use, and the designated per loca marítima - Itinerary XX -, of commercial use). Also inside the fortified walls, a Roman milestone marks the XLII mile of the road connecting Braga to Tui. This stronghold was populated by the order of King Sancho I during the 12th century. It was called Contrasta which means "village opposed to another", Tui (Spain) in this case. Its historical importance is mainly due to military constraints. It had a decisive role in the defense and integrity of Portugal from neighboring Spain. Today the town is peacefully invaded by the Spanish that visit it for commercial and touristic purposes, the Portuguese still use the fortress.
Attractions
The fortress
The most interesting things to visit are mainly inside the fortress that looks down to the Minho River and Galicia. They have been destroyed several times whether it were the Barbarians, the Moors, the armies of Asturias and Leon, or even the French troops in the 19th century, they have always been restored and still very well preserved.
Valença's fortress is a piece of gothic and baroque military architecture. The first walls were built in the 13th century. It was upgraded during the 17th and 18th century forming the present bulwarked system. It is placed on top of two small hills and it is formed by two polygons (the Recinto Magistral and the Coroada) separated by a ditch and with four doors (Coroada, Gaviarra, Fonte da Vila, and Sol). The main entrance is Porta do Sol (Sun's door). This door was damaged during the Napoleonic invasions.
The old international bridge
In 1879 Portugal and Spain agreed to construct a bi-functional (road and train) bridge. The bridge was built inspired by Eiffel works. The bridge is still in use although a new bridge was built south of the older one.
Roman milestone
Located inside the fortress this Roman milestone dates back from the 1st century AD. It has the following inscription:
TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS CAESER AUGUSTUS GERMANICUS PONTIFEX MAXIMUS. IMPERATOR V CONSUL III, TRIBUNICIA POTESTATE III. PATER PATRIAE BRACARA XLII.
It marks 42 Roman miles' (62 km) distance on the road from Braga to Tui and Emperor Claudius ordered its construction when the Via IV of Antonine was rebuilt.
Church of Saint Stephen
A Romanic church built during the 13th century and a neo-classic rebuilt during the 18th century. Inside several panels representing scenes, Saint Stephen's life can be admired.
Church of Saint Mary of Angels
Romanic church built during the 12th century. The popular decoration and the ceiling are the eye-catchers.
The cannons
Along the north wall, several old cannons very well maintained are positioned pointing to the river and Galicia as if to remind of their old purpose.
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TUI - TUY (Spain)
42°02′53″N 8°38′40″W
Tuy (officially, in Galician, Tui) is a Spanish city and municipality belonging to the province of Pontevedra, in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the Bajo Miño region. It has a population of 17,327 inhabitants (INE 2023).
It is located in the south of the province next to the Miño River, which serves as the border with Portugal. It is linked to the Portuguese city of Valença through two bridges, the A-55 highway and the Tuy international bridge. Since 2012, it has formed a Eurocity together with Valença as a sign of cooperation and integration between both locations.
It is home to one of the most famous cathedrals in Galicia, the Cathedral of Santa María, seat of the diocese of Tuy-Vigo that dates back to Roman times. Tuy was also the capital of the province of Tuy, one of the seven into which Galicia was divided until 1833.
Geography
Location
Integrated into the Bajo Miño region, of which it serves as the capital, it is located 52 kilometers from the provincial capital. The municipal area is crossed by the Atlantic Highway (AP-9), by the A-55 highway (Vigo-Tuy), by the PO-552 provincial highway, which heads towards La Guardia, and by local roads that connect with Salvatierra de Miño, Salceda de Caselas, Gondomar and Tomiño.
The relief of the municipality is defined by the right bank of the Miño River, which acts as a natural border with Portugal, and by a mountainous area through which other tributaries of the Miño also flow, such as the Louro. Mount Aloia (632 meters), in the heart of the Galiñeiro mountain range, is the highest point in the municipality and serves as the border with Gondomar.
The altitude ranges between 632 meters (Monte Aloia) and 20 meters on the banks of the Miño. The city stands 55 meters above sea level.
Hydrography
The main river in Tuy is the Miño, which penetrates the city around the parish of Caldelas. After this natural space (the parishes of Caldelas and Guillarey where the Louro River provides its water), the river begins its “urban” course delimiting the city on its east side.
In this more urban section, to the fishing port, where it receives the waters of the Tripes River.
In its next section the course continues passing through the last 2 parishes of Tuy: Randufe and Areas.
It should be noted that the Miño River is the only navigable of all those in the Tudense municipality, and it also serves as a natural border between Galicia and Portugal, which is why it is considered an international river. It is for this last reason that both the Spanish and Portuguese navies have authority in naval competitions.
Climate
The climate of the city of Tuy is Atlantic with Mediterranean influences; a microclimate. It is characterized by mild and rainy winters, and warm but not extreme summers, as temperatures do not usually exceed 35 °C.
History
From prehistory to Romanization
The area of Tuy was inhabited since prehistoric times, proof of this are the sites found during the construction of the Vigo-Tuy highway, right on the border with Porriño, dating back to the Lower Paleolithic and which at the time were the oldest in Galicia. .
The fertile valley of the Miño and its magnificent natural conditions allowed human settlements to take place in the Tudense territory from the most remote times. Remnants of the Paleolithic era (20,000 BC) are preserved on the river terraces of the Miño and Louro rivers, from the Neolithic era (5,000 BC) such as the Carrasqueira ax (Parámos) or megalithic monuments (Anta – Areas) . The introduction of metallurgy (4,000 BC) left testimonies such as the bronze helmet or the Caldelas axes (today in the Tudense Diocesan Museum) or the Randufe rock engravings.
In the fortified period (8th-7th centuries BC to 1st AD) we witnessed the construction of stable and fortified towns on the tops of mountains and hills, the so-called “castros”. The authors of the time point to Tuy (Tude) as the capital of the gentile group of the “Grovios”.
At the top of Mount Aloya, Cabeza de Francos (Pazos de Reis), Guía (Randufe) or in the current situation of the city, the existence of castro villages is documented. Specifically, there are about five forts symmetrically arranged around the top of said mountain, only one of which is equipped for visits. At the top of the summit is the most enigmatic construction in Tuy, almost 3 km of half-buried walls that no one has been able to date precisely. Due to their length, they constitute the longest wall in Galicia and were probably built in several stages, because there are sections of very diverse construction, from masonry to almost cyclopean blocks. It has been classified as a construction for a military compound, but this does not take into account the following: The wall sacrifices good defensive areas to include 3 fountains in its perimeter, a sign that there was a large population inside and they needed plenty of water. Equidistant from the aforementioned forts as if it were the center of the area. It is a work too large for an exclusively military purpose and was probably redone many times, which would show that it was used for a long time.
Surely Tuy was the famous "Castellum Tude" since the Romans located it in this area.
Another curious speculative fact was that Mount Aloya was possibly the well-known Mount Medulio of the Romans, where the last fortresses who resisted entrenched themselves and killed themselves by poisoning themselves with a plant rather than surrendering to the Roman yoke. This is why Mount Medulio is known as Galician Numancia.
We have few things left from the times before Romanization, one of the most curious is the cult of the stones of the sun and rain. If the people of the desert believed that hell was a place of fire (Judeo-Christian tradition) and those of northern Europe saw it as a place of ice. In rainy Galicia, evil was related to rain and humidity, and the sun was related to good. [citation needed]
The arrival, the year 137 BC. C., of Decimus Junius Brutus and his troops marks the beginning of the Romanization of this territory.
Until the 20th century, it was a tradition to raise, during prayers, the local patron to the sun stone, at the top of Aloia, which since 1900 has had a stone cross on top.
From Romanization to reconquest
The Romanization that begins with the arrival in the year 137 of Decimus June Brutus brings with it a time of peace, which allows the inhabitants of the area to abandon the forts and settle the lowlands, near the Miño River.
Classical sources (Pliny, Ptolemy, Silo Italicus and others) document the existence of Castellum Tude and the mythical foundation of the city by the Greek hero Diomedes, son of the hero Tydeus (hence the name Tuy). Finds from the Roman period are very abundant in the Tudense territory, especially those in the Santa Eufemia-San Bartolomé area (where the forum and the main public buildings were possibly located at that time), with several excavated necropolises, as well as the the city of Tuy itself, which was one of the mansions on Via XIX, on Antonino's itinerary, as testified by the milestones and other remains found.
Not many visible remains remain from this period, although they have been documented in different excavations. An important construction was located where the old casino was, on Paseo de la Corredera, and also included some blocks of adjacent buildings. The Roman road that went from Braga (Portugal) to Astorga passing through Lugo passed through Tuy. A milestone is preserved from this road, which is now in Pontevedra, and a small stretch of road in the neighboring Valencia de Miño.
In the Lower Empire and in the early medieval times, Tuy continued to be an important military, administrative and religious center, whose episcopal seat has been documented since the 5th century. With the arrival of the Suebi - 4th century - Tuy appears as the capital of the kingdom with Rekiamund (458-463) and several coins of the time were minted in the Tudense mint, which will continue to function even after the integration of the Suebi into the kingdom. Visigoth (585). In Visigothic Hispania, it was the episcopal seat of the Catholic Church, suffragan of the Archdiocese of Braga, which included the ancient Roman province of Gallaecia in the diocese of Hispania. The Gothic king Witiza had his court and palace in Tuy, in the place of Monterreal – Pazos de Reis.
With the fall of the Empire, the most historically important stage of Tuy begins. Its bishops appear in the councils of Braga and make their influence felt in a very wide area both in the south of Pontevedra and in the north of Portugal. In the last stage of the Visigoth kingdom, the court of Toledo was a very dangerous place for young princes, and they were sent to Tuy; to keep them away from palace intrigues; to the place that is still known today as "Pazos de Reis".
With the fall of the Empire, the most historically important stage of Tuy begins. Its bishops appear in the councils of Braga and make their influence felt in a very wide area both in the south of Pontevedra and in the north of Portugal. In the last stage of the Visigoth kingdom, the court of Toledo was a very dangerous place for young princes, and they were sent to Tuy; to keep them away from palace intrigues; to the place that is still known today as "Pazos de Reis".
At the beginning of the 8th century, Tuy suffered the invasion of the Arabs who devastated the city, which was liberated in the year 739 by Alfonso I, in 860 Alfonso Betote and Hermenegildo Gutiérrez, counts of Ordoño I, repopulated it and in 915 Ordoño II restored it. the episcopal seat.
In these times the Norman attacks again sack Tuy. A vacancy then occurred in the episcopal see that lasted until the year 1071, when the King of Galicia D. García and Doña Urraca restored and re-equipped the see that was installed in the monastery of San Bartolomé de Rebordans – a church that dates back to the 19th century. ix although with previous vestiges-.
It will recover its splendor by becoming the capital of the province (which bears its name) of the ancient Kingdom of Galicia as it becomes a strategic post on the banks of the Miño River for both war and commerce. This splendor will be increased in the 12th century, a time in which the entire northern strip of Spain, up to the Duero, was revitalized.
From the reconquest to the 21st century
The most representative monument of the Tudense pre-Romanesque is the church of San Bartolomé de Rebordáns
In the first half of the 12th century, a momentous event occurred, the birth of Portugal as an independent kingdom of Galicia and León. At this time the Miño River acquired its character as a natural border that still exists today.
With the independence of the Portuguese kingdom, Tuy will be the scene, over the centuries, of multiple war events related to border struggles. In the year 1170, Fernando II ordered the transfer of the Tudense population from the area of San Bartolomé to the current situation, providing it with a walled system – of which we still preserve various sections – and granting jurisdiction and privileges to the residents of San Buenaventura, a name the one that intended to designate the new city but that did not prosper.
The monarchs, both Castilian and Portuguese, will support the Tudense Headquarters with important donations. The bishop is the lord of the city and his preserve and Tuy is experiencing important socioeconomic and cultural development. Thus, in 1225, the Cathedral of Santa María was consecrated, built in Romanesque style and with a doorway expressing the first Gothic of Galicia. Its cloister is somewhat later. The convent of Santo Domingo is also of the same Gothic style.
In the medieval centuries, Tuy was an important commercial center, with a dynamic river port, it had various guilds and a Jewish community with a synagogue and it was a crossing point for the Jacobean pilgrimage route, with a hospital for pilgrims. In the current historic center, which occupies an area of around 10 hectares, numerous buildings from the medieval period (especially from the 15th century with their characteristic ogee arches) and modern buildings (many of them emblazoned) are preserved.
In 1623 the city of Tuy received the title of Very Noble and Very Loyal, to which in 1885 the title of Most Excellent City Council was added.
In 1640, on the occasion of the wars with Portugal, the medieval walls were expanded, adapting them to the new defensive systems. Until 1833, Tuy was one of the seven capitals of the Kingdom of Galicia and in the city the Meetings of the Kingdom of Galicia were held in 1664. The construction of the Convent of the Poor Clares (“Encerradas”), of San Antonio (“Encerradas”) corresponds to these times. San Francisco”) or the church of San Telmo.
Territorial organization
Tuy is administratively divided into 12 parishes (Parroquias), which in turn are subdivided into neighborhoods and “places.” Each one is administered by a Pedáneo, with powers focused on channeling citizen participation and information to the municipal corporation.
Parishes that are part of the municipality:
ere held in 1664. The construction of the Convent of the Poor Clares (“Encerradas”), of San Antonio (“Encerradas”) corresponds to these times. San Francisco”) or the church of San Telmo.
Territorial organization
Tuy is administratively divided into 12 parishes (Parroquias), which in turn are subdivided into neighborhoods and “places.” Each of one is administered by a Pedáneo, with powers focused on channeling citizen participation and information to the municipal corporation.
Parishes (Parroquias) that are part of the municipality:
Areas (Santa Marina)
Baldranes (Santiago)
Caldelas (San Martín)
Guillarey (San Mamed)
Malvas (Santiago)
Páramos
Pazos de Reyes (Sagrario)
Pesegueiro (San Miguel)
Randufe (Santa María de la Guía)
Rebordanes (San Bartolomé)
Ribadelouro (Santa Columba)
Tuy
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IN THE DISTRICT OF VIANA DO CASTELO
Paredes de Coura;
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Ponte da Barca;
Ponte de Lima;
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Soajo;
Valença + Tui - Tuy (Spain);
VIANA DO CASTELO;
Vila Nova de Cerveira;
Vila Praia de Ãncora;
Peneda-Gerês National Park;
Ponte da Barca;
Ponte de Lima;
Sistelo;
Soajo;
Valença + Tui - Tuy (Spain);
VIANA DO CASTELO;
Vila Nova de Cerveira;
Vila Praia de Ãncora;
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