Art Nouveau in Aveiro: What to see?

If you are unsure about what to see in Aveiro, we can help you!

In this itinerary, readers will have the opportunity to discover the main buildings that exemplify this unique style.

The city is home to several buildings in this style, each with unique features and intricate details. As you wander through Aveiro, look out for details such as façades decorated with floral and plant motifs, curved and undulating lines, stained glass windows and elaborate wrought iron work. These elements which give the buildings an organic and naturalistic language. These are the signature of Art Nouveau in Aveiro.

The itinerary ‘Art Nouveau in Aveiro: What to see?’ has been divided into two routes. The first one, the Vera Cruz Route, covers the Art Nouveau buildings on the north side of the city, i.e. north of the Côjo Canal. The Glória Route, on the other hand, covers the buildings south of the Côjo Canal.

Aveiro what to see – Vera Cruz Route

Built by Francisco da Silva Rocha, this building is the city’s ex-libris.

Its façade showcases the main feature of the building, achieved through expertly carved stone adorned with floral motifs on the windows, arches, and balconies. Additionally, wrought iron, a hallmark of Art Nouveau, further enhances the design with its elegant curves.

Inside, there are tile panels from the Fonte Nova factory, the most important Art Nouveau ceramics factory in the region.

The rear façade is equally impressive, with elaborate decoration.

Designed by José Pinho for commercial and residential activities, this building initially housed a barbershop on the ground floor and a doctor’s surgery on the upper floor. It is currently the House of Ovos Moles, with the upper floor still in use.

Inside, the building retains some attributes of the Art Nouveau Movement inside, such as doors with coloured glass on the first floor.

The balcony and windows have mouldings with depressed arches, and artistic ironwork of vegetable inspiration decorating the balconettes. The building also has a mansard with a Japanese arched window.

This building stands out for its imposing stone structure, with an exuberant façade of floral motifs and ironwork.

The decoration is homogeneous, combining floral and plant motifs in the stone with the ironwork of the windows and balcony. A female figure with long hair interrupts the façade and gives it its own grace.

The interior is poor and simple compared to the façade, as was usual in other houses of the same period.

Designed by Francisco da Silva Rocha, it stands out for the warm colours used in its polychromed tiled panels.

The tiles from the Fonte Nova plant combine with the iron and the exquisite craftsmanship of the Ançã Stone, creating a superb decorative combination.

The smooth, sinuous lines of the mouldings surround the entire ensemble, unifying and illuminating the façade.

With its sober lines and imposing stonework, in which the floral motifs stand out, the blue tile cladding enhances the lines of the stone, highlighting the recessed arches that overlook the doors and windows. The slate attic room adds to the elegance of the whole.

Designed by Korridi to commemorate the centenary of José Estevão’s birth (1909).

This obelisk shows the Art Nouveau aesthetic in the palm leaves and floral motifs, as well as in the typeface used in the inscriptions.

This building is representative of the symbiosis between iron, glass, stone and tiles.

It was designed by Silva Rocha to house a metalworking shop. Nowadays is a guesthouse/restaurant.

With its simple, elegant lines, it is a fine example of iron architecture in Aveiro. The building was renovated in 2004 and a new floor was added to house a restaurant.

This building, dating from the second decade of the 20th century, is an excellent example of the late application of Art Nouveau canons.

Made of stone and articulated with iron, it is framed by two symmetrical windows, both adorned with characteristically Art Nouveau decoration.

Art Nouveau elements are present once again, namely the curvilinear shapes, windows and doors framed with volutes and plant motifs (palm leaf), the arched balcony and shells.

This building stands out because of its tiles, depicting lilies against a yellow background, contrasting with the granite masonry.

This building, designed by Silva Rocha, boasts a façade covered in petrol blue tiles that make the mouldings of the various openings stand out.

The residence of architect Francisco Augusto Silva Rocha, responsible for most of the Art Nouveau buildings in Aveiro, is unmistakable for its simplicity and the perfect balance between its decorative elements.

The plant-based decoration is unquestionably one of the most striking elements, evident in the tiles and arches that crown the entrance and balcony doors. Additionally, the female figure, a hallmark of Art Nouveau, graces the façade.

Wrought iron plays an important role in the decoration, with ornate railings displaying floral designs.

The Capitania building stands on the site of a 15th-century tide mill, originally a single-storey structure, preserving its framework and structural system of arches on stilts.

Between 1903 and 1918 it underwent modifications by Francisco da Silva Rocha, giving it another floor and adding some Art Nouveau features.

Today it is the headquarters of the Aveiro Municipal Assembly.

Designed by Silva Rocha, it was used as a bakery and residential centre.

The building is notable for its warm-coloured tiles with floral motifs, in the Art Nouveau style. They cover the whole of the main façade. The tiles come from the Fábrica da Fonte Nova.

Designed by Silva Rocha for residential use, this building now houses the Vera Cruz Community Centre.

The façade is defined by the stonework, the tiled friezes, the female figure at the top of the mansard window, the oculus and the mailbox.

There is no doubt that José de Pinho’s building, designed for his daughter, is an outstanding example of Art Nouveau architecture.

The window frames are decorated with garlands of flowers and delicate floral pendants.

The access to the main door is via an iron staircase carved with great skill and reminiscent of filigree.

The attic, with its Japanese arched window, boasts a frame with engraved flowers and a small garland with a panel of light tiles underneath and a tiled frieze.

Aveiro what to see – Glória Route

A partnership between Silva Rocha and Ernesto Korrodi, the building combines masonry with blue tiles. The tiled frieze adds a colorful touch to the building

Also noteworthy is the central balcony with interesting ironwork and the monogram of the owner’s name.

It is currently the headquarters of the Order of Architects.

The interior still retains its Art Nouveau decoration, making this building, like the Major Pessoa Building, one of the last complete examples of this style in Aveiro.

With its slender lines, it presents a beautiful combination of granite, green tiles and schist in the attic.

Ernesto Korrodi designed this building, which has undergone extensive reconstruction, leaving only a portion of the original façade intact.

The stonework and floral motifs that run throughout the building are very characteristic of Korrodi’s eclectic style.

Ernesto Korrodi designed this building, which has undergone extensive reconstruction, leaving only a portion of the original façade intact.

With an octagonal floor plan, this iron building with typical Art Nouveau decoration is a good example of iron architecture.

The wrought iron structure and ornamentation reveal musical elements and stylised organic forms characteristic of Art Nouveau.

This building, of unknown design, stands out for the harmony of its façade. This is achieved through the treatment of the stonework and the carved mouldings, with plant, animal and human elements.

Jaime Inácio dos Santos’s design, for a private residence, is a prime example of sobriety in the combination of materials: stone, iron and tiles with floral motifs.

This corner building was designed to serve as a warehouse and grocery store.

The blue and white tiles from Fábrica da Fonte Nova, with floral motifs, which cover the ground floor, are the stand-out feature.

The building has a longitudinal floor plan and was decorated by José de Pinho in 1918, after it was built.

The building’s most striking features include the windows decorated with garlands of flowers, the female face carved in stone between two palms and the toponymic plaque with plant decoration.

Conclusion

Following the itinerary ‘Art Nouveau in Aveiro: what to see?’ we immersed ourselves in a journey through the architecture and history of the Art Nouveau movement. From the Casa Major Pessoa, the city’s ex-libris with its exuberant façade, to the Mercado do Peixe, an example of iron architecture, each place presented us with unique details and the essence of this artistic movement.

We admired the mastery of wrought iron in the balconies, staircases and railings, intertwined with stone carved into organic shapes and floral motifs. We delight in the colourful stained glass windows and the vibrantly coloured hand-painted tiles.

May this itinerary serve as an invitation to continue exploring and falling in love with the city of canals.

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