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Castle • Santa Maria da Feira, Aveiro

The Castle of Santa Maria da Feira rises in the municipality of Santa Maria da Feira, as a fortification linked to the former Terra de Santa Maria. Classified as a National Monument since 1910, it has its origins in the Reconquest, before the formation of the Portuguese nation, and served as the administrative and military seat of a vast region south of the Douro. The image that now defines the ensemble was shaped mainly in the 15th century, when King Afonso V handed it to Fernão Pereira with the task of restoring it. Inside the enclosure, the town gate protected by the barbican, the parade ground, the wall-walk, the keep, the well tower and the tenaille reveal successive military adaptations. Beside the barbican, the chapel and the chaplain’s house, ordered to be built in 1656, recall the coexistence of defence, noble residence and devotion.

Science Centre • Aveiro, Aveiro

Fábrica — Centro Ciência Viva de Aveiro, in Aveiro, occupies the building of the former Companhia Aveirense de Moagens and transforms an industrial space into a place dedicated to scientific culture. Opened to the public in 2004, it results from a partnership between the University of Aveiro and Ciência Viva, bringing research, schools and the community closer together. The name “Fábrica” preserves the memory of the building, but also expresses its current function: producing curiosity, experiments and questions. The interactive exhibitions explore themes such as science in the kitchen, robotics and holography, with modules designed to be touched, tested and observed. Its activity also extends beyond the building, through educational programmes and collaborations with scientific institutions, companies, municipalities and teaching bodies. Between imagined machinery and science in action, the former mill has become a public workshop of knowledge.