History
King Afonso III of Portugal founded the town in 1253 in the name of Viana. In the 16th century, its port gained great importance as one of the main ports from which Portuguese explorers set sail, due to the discoveries. The most remarkable buildings in the town are from this era. Its traditional folklore is among the richest in the country.
Viana do Castelo municipality reportedly came under fire from Braga Administrative Court for banning bull-fighting since 2009 on humanitarian grounds. On August 19, 2012, the first bull-fight was staged in the town since the ban. It is believed that some 2500 bulls are killed in Portugal every year. A representative of the National Portuguese Municipalities Association (ANMP) was reported as saying that "freedom won" in Viana do Castelo. Sources : Care2 and theportugalnews.com
Read more about this topic: Viana Do Castelo Municipality
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Systematic philosophical and practical anti-intellectualism such as we are witnessing appears to be something truly novel in the history of human culture.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)
“When the landscape buckles and jerks around, when a dust column of debris rises from the collapse of a block of buildings on bodies that could have been your own, when the staves of history fall awry and the barrel of time bursts apart, some turn to prayer, some to poetry: words in the memory, a stained book carried close to the body, the notebook scribbled by hand—a center of gravity.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)
““And now this is the way in which the history of your former life has reached my ears!” As he said this he held out in his hand the fatal letter.”
—Anthony Trollope (1815–1882)