Barcelos | Portugal - CREATIVE TOURISM NETWORK®

Barcelos is a notable city located in the northwest of Portugal, known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant crafts and folk arts scene.

As a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of Crafts and Folk Art, Barcelos cheers and encourages traditional crafts and folk art, contributing to the cultural diversity and vitality of the territory.

The city is famous for its many arts with a strong prevalence of clay productions, with many ceramic utilitarian creations and numerous clay figurines, among which stand out its iconic symbol, the “Galo de Barcelos” or Rooster of Barcelos, a colorful ceramic rooster that symbolizes good luck, prosperity, and the Camino de Santiago in Portugal.

Barcelos is also renowned for many other handicrafts, including embroidery, basketry, iron and derivatives works and woodcarving. Artisans in the city continue to preserve and pass down these ancient techniques, creating beautifully crafted objects that reflect the cultural heritage of the region. In addition to its rich craft traditions, Barcelos hosts a variety of cultural events like the Annual Craftsmanship Show, festivals like the outstanding “Festa das Cruzes” Festival of the Crosses”, and many other events, among which stand out the Thursday Weekly Market, an event that week after week attract visitors from around the world, providing an opportunity to experience the unique cultural features of Barcelos firsthand.

Barcelos is a lively and creative city that embraces its cultural heritage and creativity as true premises for a tourism and sustainable development.

“A Casa da Criatividade” – (The House of Creativity)

This facility aims to give substance to the municipal action following its integration of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, in the field of crafts and folk art, with the following mission:

Raise awareness in the community about the importance of the diversity of cultural expressions, including the most traditional ones;
Develop creativity;
Strengthen the role of creatives;
Promote exchange and interculturality.

The House of Creativity aims to boost Barcelos culture in different creative fields, as well as contribute to raise awareness in the community for the importance of the diversity of cultural expressions, including the most traditional ones, focusing on developing creativity and strengthening the role of creatives in the context of the local development process, creating more arguments to promote exchanges and interaction between cultures, in the context of the World Network of Creative Cities.

This space is also committed to pass on the knowledge of the local crafts, through the implementation of specific hands-on workshops and training programs aimed to the general public and empower local artisans with technological and social skills, in different areas, by offering them several training opportunities.

Therefore, the House of Creativity aims to establish a bridge with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in promoting a creative culture in Barcelos and in the cooperation between cities that recognize creativity as prominent factor in sustainable urban development, concerning the economic, social cultural and environmental aspects.

Since May 3, 2023, the House of Creativity has already delivered more than 600 hours of training, with the participation of over 500 trainees.”

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