Aveiro is a city and a municipality in Portugal. In 2011, the population was 78,450, in an area of 197.58 square kilometres (76.29 sq mi). It is the second most populous city in the Centro Region of Portugal (after Coimbra). Along with the neighbouring city of Ílhavo, Aveiro is part of an urban agglomeration that includes 120,000 inhabitants, making it one of the most important populated regions by density in the Centro Region, and primary centre of the Intermunicipal Community of Aveiro and Baixo Vouga.
Located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, Aveiro is an industrial city with an important seaport. The seat of the municipality is the city of Aveiro, comprising the five urban parishes with about 73,003 inhabitants. The city of Aveiro is also the capital of the District of Aveiro, and the largest city in the Baixo Vouga intermunicipal community subregion. Aveiro is known as “the Portuguese Venice“, due to its system of canals and boats similar to the Italian city of Venice.
Aveiro is known for its production of salt and for its seaweed harvest, which is used for fertilizer in the area. The region is also known for the preponderance of ceramics industries and commerce, a reflection of the regions advancements, resulting in a long productive tradition since the late Roman, early Medieval period (reflected in the ceramics kilns). The city of Aveiro has several shopping centers and malls (Pingo Doce Shopping Center, Fórum Aveiro, Glicínias Plaza (Jumbo – Auchan), Aveiro’s Shopping Center (Continente & Mediamarkt), Aveiro’s Retail Park and the Oita Shopping Center). This city has lots of traditional commerce stores. The most central one being Forum Aveiro with clothes stores, restaurant zone, a book shop and a cinema. The unemployment rate is very low (about 5%), sustained by a university and commerce.
The architecture of Aveiro is influenced by two phases: the pre-Kingdom era, with a number of historical monuments; and the modernist movements resulting from the expansion of economy during the 19th-20th centuries. The city’s primary landmark is the 15th century Monastery of Jesus (Portuguese: Mosteiro de Jesus), containing the tomb of King Afonso V‘s daughter, St. Joana (who died in 1490). The presence of this royal personage, beatified in 1693, proved to be of great benefit when she bequeathed her valuable estate to the convent. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the convent housed a school of embroidery, but was transformed into the Museu de Santa Joana, or simply, the Museum of Aveiro, housing many of these handicrafts. The abundance of 19th-20th century architectural buildings reflects the effects of the boom during that period, including many of the Art Novo and Art Deco buildings, inspired by modernist trends and Nationalist tendencies of the Estado Novo regime. The best of these in the university campus, where many the nationalist architects were involved in construction projects. There are several attractions in the city of Aveiro, including cathedrals, canals and the beache, including the Ílhavo ceramica de Vista Alegre and the beaches of Barra, Costa Nova do Prado, and Gafanha da Nazaré.
