Prague reveals design plans for the Vltava Philharmonic Hall
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The health flag has been immortalized in a metal rendition, but the column supporting it is the original one, Source: Porto Municipality / Filipa Brito
The Health Flag stone column still stays vigilant, nowadays as a monument
Pandemics, such as the one we are all collectively going through are nothing new to humanity and European cities have a long history of having to deal with them coming up in the process with peculiar rules, innovations and restrictions.
A potent reminder of this is the Bandeirinha da Saúde stone column which overlooks the Portuguese city of Porto and the Douro River below. Its name translates to a ‘little health flag’ referring to the piece of cloth which used to be raised some 400 years ago in times of plague epidemics to indicate to incoming ships that they will have to undergo inspection before entering the city.
In a way, the flag, which was raised on the column at a point where it can be easily seen, was also an indicator that the city was healthy and it intended to stay that way. That did not mean cutting itself off from the surrounding world of trade and commerce. Quite the opposite, since it has always been a major point for the export of Portuguese wines – now you know where the word ‘port wine’ comes from, too.
Nowadays, you have to show a green pass to enter many facilities or countries, and the health flag was there to serve the purpose of a health facility at the customs.
1633 is the likely date for the completion of the construction of the granite pyramid which supported the flagpole, a work completed by master Bastião Fernandes, which still stays. Today, however, there is an iron flag mounted on top to serve as a reminder of these days. The flag station served its purpose for more than a hundred years.
Several centuries later, this object and the practice associated with it continue to arouse interest and curiosity. The "health flag" will be the protagonist of a session, promoted by the City Museum within the scope of the Sonda operative program - a cycle of conversations with guests around themes of the city of Porto's architectural, artistic or archaeological heritage.
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
The summer ticket will be valid on local and regional trains, buses, as well as on the U-Bahn and S-Bahn
The Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group won the international architectural competition
The city also added a new bathing area
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
Explore the underbelly of the city’s most iconic site in the moonlit hours
The REPowerEU 200 billion-euro plan calls for a gradual reduction of Russian fuel imports
Close engagement initiatives with the business sector and residents were key to spreading the idea across the board
The new Walking and Cycling Index shows that an overwhelming majority want to live in 20-minute neighbourhoods
The city also added a new bathing area
The installation of the sensors is part of its “Smart Museum” project
Authorities want to do away with the passive status of nature in the city
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status