In the golden age of port wine, the Clerics Tower, the well-known symbol of Porto, was completed in the 18th Century, among the great Baroque works of Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni and his Neo-classical buildings, influenced by the English colony in the city. This century also witnessed the urban reform of Joao de Almada e Melo (1757-1786).

The population of Porto rose dramatically during the 18th and 19th Centuries, as it became a major centre of industry. Porto saw the invasion of Napoleon’s troops in 1809, with the British Marshal Arthur Wellesley driving the French out. However, while Porto’s population was fleeing from the advancing soldiers, they were crossing a pontoon bridge which collapsed, drowning thousands. A plaque on the Dom Luis I bridge commemorates this tragedy.

In 1820, civil war broke out in Portugal after Porto rebelled against English occupation. A liberal constitution was adopted in 1822, largely due to the efforts of Porto’s liberal assembly. However, it was made null after Miguel of Portugal acceded to the throne in 1828, but became effective again after he abdicated.

Rebelling against the absolutist monarch Miguel, in 1832, Porto was besieged for 18 months. Because of the bravery of the city’s inhabitants, King Pedro IV referred to Porto as ‘the undefeated city’. Its population maintains liberal and progressive ideals to this day.

Another revolt, this time instigated by republicans, occurred in 1891, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Portuguese republic in 1910. Afterwards, the city underwent major reconstruction. Notable innovations of this time include the 1915 building of the Aliados Avenue, which forms the northern border of the historic district. The two-level iron bridge Dom Luis I was also constructed in 1915, as well as the Maria Pia, a railway bridge, both designed by Teophile Seyrig, a student of Gustave Eiffel. The central railway station of Porto, Sao Bento, was also built during this period, which is widely considered one of the most beautiful buildings in Europe. Its opulent painted tiles merit special mention.

Aurelio dos Reis took Portugal’s first motion picture in Porto, in 1896, which was screened in the Teatro do Principe Real do Porto. This occurred less than a year after the Lumiere brothers made their first public presentation. Today, Porto is known as the ‘city of work’, with an active bourgeois class and an exciting social and cultural life