Valença marks National Historic Centers Day with the photographic exhibition "Bastioned Fortifications of Valença".

The Valença Tourist Office is hosting a photographic exhibition, "Bastioned Fortifications of Valença ," by Francisco Piqueiro, open to the public until April 30th .

This initiative takes on particular relevance as today marks the National Day of Historic Centers , serving as a contribution to the appreciation, promotion, and safeguarding of the historical and architectural heritage of Valença, with a special focus on its renowned fortified structure.

The exhibition brings together a collection of 16 images that showcase some of the most striking aerial panoramas of the Valença Fortress, as well as the land-based forts of São Jorge, in the parish of Silva, Tuído, in Gandra, and Belém, in Arão, providing a differentiated and comprehensive visual reading of the municipality's defensive system.

The opening session was attended by the Mayor of Valença, José Manuel Carpinteira, and the Councillor for Tourism, Óscar Silva, who emphasized the importance of diversifying ways of promoting local heritage, highlighting the role of photography as a privileged means of revealing new perspectives on Valença's historical identity.

Integrated into the "Open Days of the Route of the Fortified Border Fortresses (RFAR)" initiative , the exhibition aims to showcase the military heritage of the municipality, with a particular focus on the defensive system complementary to the Valença Fortress, whose current configuration largely dates back to the period of the Restoration War.

Francisco Piqueiro, a civil engineer and aerial photography enthusiast, has been gathering a vast collection of documents about the fortifications of the Minho border region. In this exhibition, he presents a selection of images captured from the air, focused on the Valencian territory, which highlight the uniqueness and impressiveness of its fortified heritage, revealing unusual angles and framings.

This initiative thus provides an opportunity for the public to explore, through photography, the historical, cultural and scenic richness of Valença, reinforcing the appreciation of its historic center and the military structures that surround it.