| Viana do Castelo, 18th, 19th and 20th of June 2009 |
 As it was announced in Zagreb, Croatia, in October 2008, the first Healthy Cities Network Meeting of Phase V will be held
in Viana do Castelo.
As Mayor, I would like to heartily invite you and the cities you represent to come to Viana do Castelo on the set dates (18th, 19th and 20th of June 2009) wishing that the present webpage will help you prepare your journey and also your stay. In addition to the valuable natural and architectural patrimony and the richness of the cultural traditions of the municipality, the material and functional conditions which have been built over the last decade in Viana do Castelo have made it possible to organise this meeting. Viana do Castelo’s privileged location at the mouth of the Lima River, facing the immense Atlantic Ocean has influenced its identity and destiny throughout the centuries – fishing, maritime commerce, naval construction, the discovery of distant lands, and nowadays, recreational sailing and water sports provide an unmistakable trait to those living here. Like the country itself, Viana do Castelo has been a meeting place for people and cultures for over five hundred years. Despite its geographical location within Europe, the city has predominantly faced the world as it was discovered, and the people with whom it has been physically and culturally connected to. That is why we have special and friendly relationships with places and people from far away countries, especially those in the seven Portuguese speaking nations: Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, St. Tomé and Principe, and East Timor. These ancient cultural relationships are of great value for the country and for Europe as a gateway and link to cultural and economic exchanges with Latin America, Africa and the Orient. Being very proud of their heritage, conserving traditions and rich patrimony, the people of Viana also want to be parents of modernity in a city open to the future. Our urban planning, industrial innovation and new cultural ventures are examples of these views which I hope I will have the opportunity to show you. As such, I am sure that you and all those who will accompany you on this short visit will be pleased with your stay in Viana do Castelo.
See you soon! Defensor Oliveira Moura Mayor of Viana do Castelo |