GALICIA AND ITS CITIES: VIGO, OURENSE AND PONTEVEDRA
Galicia is located in the northwest coast of Spain, in the North of
Portugal and next to the Atlantic Ocean. It is an Autonomous Community
divided into four provinces: A Coruña, Lugo (in the North) and Ourense and
Pontevedra (in the South). Galicia is a mountainous region with vast
valleys, forests and meadows and white-sand beaches. The Rías Altas and
Rías Bajas have a unique outstanding beauty and are clear references of
our community.
Both the Galician Parliament and the Autonomous Government are placed in
Santiago de Compostela, the capital of Galicia, a city famous for its
cathedral, where the mortal remains of Santiago Apostol are said to lie.
Santiago is a cultural and spiritual centre of international projection,
yearly visited by pilgrims and tourists from all over the world. Besides,
this city hosts one of the oldest universities in Spain.
Galicia has a richness of monuments and artistical representations: pazos,
rural manor houses, cruceiros (stone crosses), horreos, and fountains.
There are many architectonical examples of Celt and Roman settlements
scattered all over Galicia: fortified castros, Romanic churches or stone
bridges. Many rural houses have been turned into small hotels where you
can enjoy for a few days the Galician country life style.
In the socio-economic field, Galicia has a relevant agriculture structure,
but the fish, canning and car industries are also growing significantly.
OURENSE
It is the capital of the Galician non-seaside province. The history of
Ourense dates back from the Roman times due to its strategic situation
near the river Miño. From that period, we can mention the famous Puente
Viejo, a bridge built by the Romans over the Miño river, main reference of
the city. Another representative monument is the Cathedral, built at the
end of the 12th century, which houses the Portico del Paraíso, gothic
representation similar to the Portico de la Gloria in Santiago.
The streets, squares and gardens in Ourense enclose a quite atmosphere,
which hosts beautiful monuments such as the gothic church and cloister of
San Francisco, the temples of Trinidad, Santa Eugenia, Santa María la
Madre, and the old Palacio Episcopal, which houses an archeological museum.
Specially famous in Ourense are the Burgas, thermal fountains whose waters
reach temperatures of 70ºC. So far, their waters have been used for
therapeutic, dermatologic and antirrheumatic purposes.
Nowadays, Ourense is a growing city and well-communicated. It has become a
business and service centre, with its own Technological Park.
The campus in Ourense is located in the old hospital site, 10 minutes away
from the city centre.
Web pages about Ourense:
http://www.depourense.es,
http://www.ourensenet.com/
Map of Ourense:
http://callejero.callejeando.com/Pueblos/pueblo32_1.htm.
PONTEVEDRA
The history of Pontevedra is linked to its situation, at the end of a
beautiful ría, on the Lerez estuary. The monuments in the city are a clear
reflection of Pontevedra's historical character: its maritime past, its
strategic location, surrounded by fertile soil and near big monasteries
and manor houses, a focus for merchandises and Galician nobility in the
past, all this reflected on local architecture. Some of its most
emblematic monuments are part of the Galician historic heritage: the
Franciscan and Dominican monasteries, the convent of the Order of St.
Clara, the churches of Santa María la Mayor and Virgen de la Peregrina,
built in the 18th century.
The Museo de Pontevedra plays a very important role in the city cultural
life showing several art and arqueological collections from all ages, and
particularly from Galicia. The museum, which is also the provincial
studies centre, has got its own archive and library.
Pontevedra has preserved, as none Galician town has done, the archades on
its buildings. Particularly charming are the buildings located in the old
part of the town, being both squares Plaza de la Herrería and Plaza de la
Leña the most significant referents.
As it is the capital of the province, Pontevedra houses many governmental
delegations, which are located at the Alameda and Paseo de las Palmeras .
The Faculty of Fine Arts is situated in the same area in the city centre,
in an old militar restored building.
Web pages about Pontevedra:
http://www.concellopontevedra.es/
Map of Pontevedra:
http://callejero.callejeando.com/Pueblos/pueblo36_1.htm.
VIGO
Vigo is located alongside a 30 km long estuary with the same name and
only 25 km far away from Portugal. Due to this strategic location, Vigo
was already a trade city in ancient times and nowadays has become one of
the main ports in Europe, with an important industrial infrastructure (shipyards,
canning, car and granite industries).
But Vigo is much more than its industry. Within the borders of the ancient
walls lies the old part of the city. The southern area is of great
touristic interest, with the so-called Piedra market and square, the
street Los Cesteros, the neoclasic collegiate church Santa María, the main
square Plaza de la Consitución and the maritime area O Berbés. This part
of the city can not be compared to the modern building area in Vigo.
When visiting the city, you should not forget the viewpoints at O Castro,
A Guía and A Madroa, with beautiful sights of the estuary, or Parque de
Castrelos, the most beautiful urban park in Galicia, where the local
museum Pazo Museo de Quiñones de León, is located. The city has got the
unique zoo in all Galicia.
Vigo is particularly well-known for its white-sand beaches and for the
islands Cíes (15 km far away from Vigo), a beautiful natural park, with
one of the most significative ecosystems of the Galician seaside. It is a
privileged breeding place for marine birds as well.
There is a wide cultural offer in the city. The students of the
Universidade de Vigo can get discount tickets from the Vice-Rectorate of
University Extension to attend, for instance, concerts and theatre
performances organized by the cultural centre Caixanova. There are also
many cinemas, and some museums and galleries, many of them of free
entrance.
Web pages about Vigo: http://www.vigo.org/ http://www.vigonet.com
Map of Vigo: http://orueiro.devigo.net/ http://www.callejeando.com/Pueblos/pueblo36_2.htm
For further information about Galicia and its cities, visit the following
web pages:
www.turgalicia.es
www.riasbaixas.org
www.spanish-living.com/files/Galicia/general_info/general_info.htm