History
King Afonso III of Portugal founded the town in 1253 in the name of Viana. In the 16th century, its port gained great importance as one of the main ports from which Portuguese explorers set sail, due to the discoveries. The most remarkable buildings in the town are from this era. Its traditional folklore is among the richest in the country.
Viana do Castelo municipality reportedly came under fire from Braga Administrative Court for banning bull-fighting since 2009 on humanitarian grounds. On August 19, 2012, the first bull-fight was staged in the town since the ban. It is believed that some 2500 bulls are killed in Portugal every year. A representative of the National Portuguese Municipalities Association (ANMP) was reported as saying that "freedom won" in Viana do Castelo. Sources : Care2 and theportugalnews.com
Read more about this topic: Viana Do Castelo Municipality
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“There is a history in all men’s lives,
Figuring the natures of the times deceased,
The which observed, a man may prophesy,
With a near aim, of the main chance of things
As yet not come to life.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“What has history to do with me? Mine is the first and only world! I want to report how I find the world. What others have told me about the world is a very small and incidental part of my experience. I have to judge the world, to measure things.”
—Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889–1951)
“Systematic philosophical and practical anti-intellectualism such as we are witnessing appears to be something truly novel in the history of human culture.”
—Johan Huizinga (1872–1945)