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Introduction:
Aveiro
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^ A panoramic view of Aveiro downtown, dominated by the Vouga river.
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Known as the Portuguese Venice, typical northern Portuguese tradition blends with a lively youthful city to create a mix of history and modernity in
Aveiro.
Once a seaport between Porto and Coimbra, heavy storms in the winter of 1575 destroyed the deep channel that had once linked the Ria estuary to the Atlantic Ocean, which was once navigated by the large ships docking at
Aveiro.
Since then, the estuary became an exclusive haunt of the 'moliceiros' - the brightly coloured flat boats that can be seen gliding across the lagoon.
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Aveiro has one of the country's most varied landscapes, with white sand dunes giving way to vast expanses of salt. The city itself is intersected by canals - three of them link the city to the Ria - and just like in Venice, those who want to avoid traffic jams can always take a boat ride.
'Ovos moles', sweetened egg yolk in candied casings shaped like fish or barrels, are the local
speciality, but those more inclined toward sightseeing than cuisine can enjoy the graceful Art Nouveau buildings or the neat fishermen's cottages that are reflected in the canals of
Aveiro.
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Stadium:
Estádio Municipal de Aveiro
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^ The stadium is part of an ambitious Sports Park
project.
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Capacity 30,000
Entity
Aveiro Town Hall
Architect
Tomás Taveira
Located
in the Parque da Cidade on the outskirts of the city,
the new stadium was built from scratch. All the seats
are covered. The new Sports Park will also boast a
multi-sports pavilion, a golf course, a recreation
ground, a swimming-pool complex and six new
hotels.
This is an ambitious piece of architecture, combining
attractive lines with functional facilities and a
capacity for 30,000 spectators. Its four stands have
been designed to operate as independent units.
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The structure of the stadium and the coloured patterns make for plenty of light. Estádio Municipal de Aveiro is
one of the three EURO 2004 stadiums designed by Tomás Taveira. The works of this Portuguese architect are often marked by their multicoloured design.
With its capacity for only 14,000 fans, the Mário Duarte Stadium, where SC Beira-Mar used to play, was not considered big and modern enough to host EURO 2004 matches and so the Estádio Municipal de Aveiro was built. The team has been playing there since December 2003.
The tournament director, António Laranjo, underlined some of the best features of the Aveiro stadium. "It seats 30,000 people, but has all the amenities of a stadium for 50,000. It is located in an excellent area, both geographically and in terms of the surrounding countryside. It is really easy to get here and there can be no doubt that it is a very beautiful stadium."
Portugal came from behind to draw 1-1 with Greece in the friendly match that marked the official opening of Estádio Municipal de Aveiro. There were celebrations in the stands and on the pitch before the match. Thirty-thousand fans watched a magnificent show and tribute was paid to Fernando Couto as he won his 100th cap.
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Average highest temperature in June: 22.6ºC |
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D
Czech
Rep. v Latvia
2045 CET 15 June 2004
D
Netherlands v Czech Rep.
2045 CET 19 June 2004
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