Latest news with #GoPorto
Euronews
26-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Bolhão Market: ambitious renovation safeguards cultural identity
We are in the centre of Porto, at the Bolhão market. The shoppers here know they'll find fresh regional produce from friendly and cheerful stall holders. The structure has been renovated from the ground up: today the market is modern and functional, yet retains the architectural beauty that draws tourists in from far and wide. Every day it is visited by about 20,000 people, indeed it is called the heart of the city. Rui Moreira is the mayor of Porto. He has always known the market, which he used to visit as a child with his grandmother: "If you imagine Porto as a tree, I would say that the Bolhão market is one of the main roots. It is located in the centre of the city, characterised by its monumentality and the monumentality of the people who work there. It is the mayor who demanded that the market be renovated in these terms: that is, it is Rui Moreira who sought to preserve the Art Nouveau monument while opening it up to modifications that would make it functional for those who work there. After four years of renovation work, the Bolhão reopens in September 2022; renovated from the ground up, it is now at the forefront of health and hygiene standards. Francisca Carneiro Fernandes, board member of Go Porto, the public company that manages the market, and head of Market management, explains that 'The renovation of Bolhão was a process supported by the city. It was a complex and difficult task, but the citizens wanted it to happen'. The project was conceived by young architect Nuno Valentim. He faced two major challenges: to design the product counter area in compliance with health and hygiene regulations and to imagine the loading and unloading of goods in an underground space so as to make the operation easy. "Designing the whole logistical part", he emphasises, "everything that cannot be seen, that makes the market functional, lets it 'breathe'... That was the great transformation'. The goods are delivered to the underground car park, the traders pick them up themselves. There are cold rooms, refrigerators and lifts. Everything is new and modern.** Sara Araújo works in the fish market that used to be her mother's. The market is a mission for her: 'Thousands and thousands of people come every day. After the renovation, those who no longer came, came back and from all around, from Boavista, Maia, Porto; absolutely everyone came back'. Maria Teixeira is a florist who has worked in the market her whole life and cannot imagine herself anywhere else: "The market is my life; I have been working for 54 years: I started as a young girl and this is what I love to do'. The renovation cost 28 million euros, of which 22 million euros was financed by the European Union and 6 million euros came from public funding, partly national and partly regional. 'The relationship between customer and seller is much more direct, much closer', Francisca Carneiro Fernandes concludes. 'We often see these women teaching customers how to cook their products, which helps to understand the history of the city and the Portuguese way of life. Social and cultural value is incredibly important for this market'. Many sacrifices have been made but it was well worth it; the market remains a crucial node for the city's economy and it is also the cradle of the city's cultural identity. The European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament is set to expel Luxembourgish MEP Fernand Kartheiser from its ranks for arranging a trip to Moscow. Kartheiser, a former diplomat and ambassador to several European countries, is currently in Moscow where he was invited by the Russian Parliament, or Duma, to discuss bilateral relations, Russia's relations with international organisations and the current situation in Ukraine. 'Given that the European Parliament is blocking MEPs' diplomatic efforts to meet with the Russian Federation, I am funding this mission to Moscow myself,' he told Euronews before the two-day trip to meet members of the Russian government and Parliament. But fellow MEPs from the right-wing group were unimpressed. "By travelling to Putin's Russia, Fernand Kartheiser has crossed a red line for the ECR Group. We will take decisive action to terminate his group membership as soon as possible,' said ECR co-Chairmen Nicola Procaccini and Patryk Jaki in a statement shared with Euronews. Kartheiser could be formally expelled as soon as next week during a group meeting, according to a source familiar with the party, as few MEPs are in Brussels this week. An absolute majority of votes among the group's members is required to exclude him. The ECR group has a firm stance on the Russian war in Ukraine, condemning the invasion and demanding full support for Ukraine for as long as it takes. 'We continue to emphasise our backing for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, defence and independence of Ukraine,' an ECR spokesperson told Euronews in a written statement on the matter. Kartheiser is not the first MEP to embark on a trip to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. While the European Parliament has suspended any ties with its Russian counterpart and no official delegation has been sent to Russia since the invasion, some of its members have travelled there in a personal capacity. For example, five MEPs took part in the Victory Day's parade in Moscow on 9 May: Michael von der Schulenburg and Ruth Firmenich from Germany's radical left BSW party, Ľuboš Blaha from Slovakia's ruling Smer party, Czech independent MEP Ondřej Dostál and Cypriot independent MEP Fidias Panayiotou. Slovenia's president Nataša Pirc Musar called for renewed dialogue between the EU and Russia in a recent interview with Politico, saying that EU Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen is 'working on that'. On the matter, a spokesperson from the Commission said on Monday: "We are interested in bringing all the parties concerned together at the table, and to discuss a ceasefire, in view of achieving peace".
Euronews
26-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
How Porto did well: The successful restructuring of the Bolhão market
Porto's Bolhão market is one of the city's main tourist attractions, not only for its excellent products but also for its traders who tell anecdotes of the city and happily hand down the most authentic recipes of the Portuense culinary tradition. The structure dates back to the first half of the 20th century, and since the 1990s the need for a major renovation had become apparent in the public debate. There was a time when the municipal council leading Porto wanted to tear down the structure and build yet another shopping centre. The outcry was general. "It is Mayor Rui Moreira who chose to preserve the original form. And he managed it' recalls Francisca Carneiro Fernandes, a member of the board of directors of Go Porto, the public company that manages the market.** The work was comprehensive and lasted four years from 2019 to 2022, for a total cost of 28 million euros, of which 22 million euros was financed by the European Union and 6 million euros came from public funding. 'In the morning alone of re-opening day the market received around 20,000 visitors. People were eager to see how it had been transformed, increasing comfort and efficiency without sacrificing the historical characteristics of the market. The big challenge today is to preserve the market's identity:** 'These days it is hard to keep the balance between the nature of the fresh produce market and the market as a whole; yet this balance must be maintained if we are to preserve the market's essence and its history. As it is also a strong attraction for tourists who have different demands, they want something ready-made and processed to eat. The people, the workers of Bolhão', Francisca concludes, 'are the soul of this place, the true beating heart of the market'. The fact remains that the renovation has not erased the architectural and cultural identity of the place. Here we still breathe the most authentic air of the city, hear the truest language spoken and the culinary recipes are all worth noting.
