Rua da Junqueira

Rua da Junqueira, mostly known simply as Junqueira, is a traditional shopping street of the city of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. The street, located in Póvoa de Varzim City Center, it is the main and the oldest shopping street of the city, with several boutiques, some opened for over 100 years, and small shopping centers. It is a landmark for the city and neighboring areas and one of the earliest pedestrianized streets in Portugal, serving as an example to other cities that later did similar developments.

Junqueira also refers, from time immemorial, to the area surrounding this street, and in early times was a fishermen district.

The axis of Rua da Junqueira street appeared in the written records, by the first time, in 1694 and was known as Rua de São Roque da Junqueira. But Junqueira is much older; several artifacts from the Roman Era were found in several street re-arraignments. It is considered part of Villa Euracini and could be the site of a Roman fish factory.

Junqueira probably takes its name from rushes (junco in Portuguese) that were found there before it was urbanized in the 18th century. Junqueira was wetland and old bridge ruins were found in the waterfront when the casino underground parking lot was being constructed in the late 1990s.

Lieutenant Francisco da Veiga Leal in the news of the Town of Póvoa de Varzim on May 24, 1758 spoke about this street: "At the end of the pavement that starts at the seashore there is a square where the Pillory is located, and from there the rua da Ponte street begins, and it keeps this name until the sands of the beach are reached, at the middle of its length the new street of Junqueira begins, it links with its street of Areosa and Senra, and the later with the suburb of old town". In 1762, the street had 49 houses in the left side and 29 in the right one; in 1792 it was inhabited, mostly, by fishermen families.

In the 18th century, the area around Póvoa Fortress, known as "Ribeira", became the center of trade and fish brine, where several warehouses were located. In the New Street of Junqueira, fishermen, sellers, fish traders and beach goers started to implement the characteristic way-of-living of this street, it became one of the main ones in the city.

in the 19th century, Junqueira became mostly used for commerce, where all kinds of goods could be found, by then it became dominated by the business bourgeoisie, and was seen as their living room to attend outsiders. Therefore, most of Póvoa's religious processions marched throw the street and balconies were decorated.

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