CITY & VENUE

Located 30 km north of Porto, the sea-side city of Póvoa de Varzim sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. As of 2021, there were 64000 inhabitants.

Permanent settlement in Póvoa de Varzim dates back to around four to six thousand years ago. Around 900 BC, unrest in the region led to the establishment of Cividade de Terroso, a fortified city, which developed maritime trade routes with the civilizations of classical antiquity. Modern Póvoa de Varzim emerged after the conquest by the Roman Republic of the city by 138 BC; fishing and fish processing units soon developed, which became the foundations of the local economy. Póvoa de Varzim's importance re-emerged with the Age of Discovery due to its shipbuilders and merchants proficiency and wealth, who traded around the globe in complex trade routes. By the 17th century, the fish processing industry rebounded and, sometime later, Póvoa became the dominant fishing port in Northern Portugal.

Póvoa de Varzim (coat of arms on the left) has been a well-known beach resort for over three centuries, the most popular in Northern Portugal, which unfolded an influential literary culture and historical-artistic patronage in music and theatre. 

It is set to welcome young researchers, national and foreign, for the first edition of CYRCOMP.