Bolhão Market
Portuguese history, culture and tradition.
Integrated in one of the most dynamic urban blocks of Porto, the Bolhão market is a sociological testimony of the traditional forms of commerce (the fairs) and presents itself as an important identity element of the city. To visit it is to know and feel the soul of the city.
Huge Water Bubble
Located on a very muddy terrain, formed by a spring that created a huge bubble of water, the Bolhão Market is one of the most emblematic places in the city and very popular. It was inaugurated on September 18th, 1839, to concentrate in the same place all the markets of the city, except for those of Ribeira and Anjo, in a very modest construction.
But in Casimiro Barbosa’s preliminary project, from 1910, a building with two wings was already foreseen to enlarge the market, allowing to accommodate a greater abundance of food stocks, pleasing merchants and customers, but it would end up not being executed.
Finally, in 1914, the work we know today began, this time by the design of António Correia da Silva, being completed in 1917. Influenced by the architecture of the Parisian School of Fine Arts, he designed a building in a neoclassical style, where metal structures were mixed with reinforced concrete, wood and granite stone.
Testimony of Traditional Trade
Built around a four-spout fountain, it features two floors connected by staircases and a large central courtyard that is subdivided into two. The main entrance, positioned to the south, features an emblazoned pediment that is flanked by sculptures of Mercury and Flora, the gods of classical mythology consecrated to Commerce and Agriculture, a work by Bento Cândido da Silva.
In 2006 it was classified as a Property of Heritage Interest and in 2007, due to the attempt to privatize the market, which would involve demolition of the interior to make way for a new concept, citizens organized themselves against this action and prevented its implementation.
With the classification of Monument of Public Interest in 2013, its importance was assumed as “a sociological testimony of the traditional forms of commerce (the fairs) and their possible combination with modern commerce, integrating itself in one of the most dynamic urban blocks of Porto”, presenting itself as “an important identity factor of the city”.
Restoration and Modernization
In 2015, the Porto City Council presented a new project for the restoration and modernization of the market, under the authorship of the architect Nuno Valentim. Its requalification provided artificial heating, roofs on the lower floor, direct access to the metro and a technical basement with access for loading and unloading. Restaurants were installed on the upper floor, keeping also the commercial zone there, with an entrance through Rua de Fernandes Tomás, transferring the entire fresh market to the lower floor.
Experiences
The “Tour 4 – Through the Cultural Cantres of Porto” goes through the most dynamic urban blocks of Porto and that you won’t want to miss. This itinerary takes you to the era of modernism, not only in the arts but also in the people and the city and is accompanied by the story “Elements of the City of Porto“, a set of natural and human attributes that greatly contribute to the definition of the city’s character. Discover the city of Porto and get to know its history and culture.
In the Bolhão area you will find some of the most sought-after accommodation in the city. My accommodation suggestions are very centrally located so that you can feel and live the soul of the city up close and get to know its historic neighborhoods. Get to know my accommodation advice.
