Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square)

Square in Porto

Praça Da Liberdade Porto
CC BY-SA 2.0 / Alain Rouiller

Praça da Liberdade is, by many, considered the heart of the city of Porto, in Portugal. It is located downtown, in the parish of Santo Ildefonso .

Previously, the current Praça da Liberdade was called Casal or Lugar de Paio de Novais and Sítio or Fonte da Arca (during the 15th century ); Lugar or Praça da Natividade (after 1682, due to the fountain built there that year); Quinta, Campo or Sítio das Hortas (until 1711); Praça Nova das Hortas (after 1711); Constitution Square (1820); Praça de D. Pedro IV (1833) and, even if for a few days,Republic Square (October 13, 1910). The present designation — Praça da Liberdade — was adopted on October 27, 1910. The name is an allusion to the republican system of government.

History of the Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square)

The Cabido da Sé do Porto owned the land for Praça Nova, a public square located outside of the Fernandine Walls of the city. Plans for the square were proposed in 1691 and 1709, but were not realized until 1718 when the Cabido granted the land for its creation. Along with the square, new streets were also opened, such as Rua do Laranjal das Hortas (now missing) and Rua da Cruz (now Rua da Fábrica). Praça Nova was bordered by the Town Hall, which operated there between 1819 and 1915, the Convento dos Congregados, a section of the demolished Muralha Fernandina, and the Convent of Santo Elói, which was only completed in the 19th century and is now known as Palácio das Cardosas. The west side of the square was built at a later time.

The Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square) appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Porto!

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Visiting Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square)

Hours:

24 Hours


Price:

Free

Address: Praça da Liberdade, Porto, Portugal
Duration: 1 hours

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