Largo do Toural - Guimarães

Largo do Toural is the main square of Guimarães and is considered the heart of the city.

The oldest references to this square date back to the 17th century , when cattle markets and bullfights were held here, next to the main Porta da Vila , outside the wall, which gave it this name.
In the 18th century, by order of Queen Maria I, the old wall on the eastern side was demolished and uniform houses with regular architecture were built in the Pombaline style.

In 1791, the Town Hall gave land next to the wall to build buildings, which were later constructed according to a plan possibly from Lisbon, from where the transformation of the Toural began. The Public Garden , surrounded by an iron fence, was created at this time and opened to the public in 1878.
In the 19th century this was already one of the most important squares in Guimarães, together with the Public Garden.

After the establishment of the Republic in 1910, the public garden was moved to another location and the statue of King Afonso Henriques was placed in the middle of the Toural. A few years later, the statue was moved to a location near the castle and replaced by a showy artistic fountain.

Willem Vandenameele