The impressive titan
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The impressive titan

Anyone admiring the Leça da Palmeira coastal landscape cannot ignore the enormous crane that appears against the horizon.

There used to be two, one on the north pier and another on the south pier. The latter, located on the Matosinhos side, was dismantled ten years ago to be restored, an operation that did not go well and set off explosions and a fire.

Both cranes are steam-powered, move on tracks and came from Lille, France, when construction of the Port of Leixões began on 13 July 1884. They helped build the seawalls, carrying tons of stones that allowed land to conquer the sea.

Today, this slightly rusty, almost 140-year-old crane is an unavoidable symbol of Leça da Palmeira and one of the few Titans of this size in the world. It can be visited every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, between 10am and 5pm.

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