The Mondego River Heritage Park and Discovery Cyclepath project aims to rehabilitate and revitalize the riverside landscape along the 80km stretch of the Mondego River. The project seeks to inventory cultural and natural resources along the river, connect them with interpretation centers through cyclepaths and itineraries, and promote sustainable tourism. This will help develop the region by attracting visitors and investments, creating jobs, and strengthening community identity by highlighting their cultural heritage. An intelligent mobile guide app and website will provide information to visitors and link points of interest along the cyclepath, enhancing the cultural landscape of the Mondego River valley.

1. The project of The Mondego River Heritage Park and
The Discovery Ciclepath
Nuno Martins
Escola Superior Artsitica do Porto / ADP-PPM, Associação de Projecto
ADP- Associaç
e Desenvolvimento do Parque Patrimonial do Mondego
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2. In 1925, in his book “Landscapes Morphology”,
Carl Sauer defined cultural landscape as the result of a
social group over a natural landscape. Sauer writes,
“Culture is the agent, the natural is the medium, the cultural
landscape the result”.
Refusing environmental determinism Sauer argues that the
shapping force of landscapes transformations “lies in the
culture it self” (not in nature).
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3. In a contemporary sense,
Cultural landscape could be described as
a geographic scope associated to an
historical event or character, or to a labour
activity that contains aesthetic and cultural
values
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4. Or, according to UPC professor's Joaquin Sabaté:
“ cultural landscape is the territory work footage,
something similar to a unknown worker
memorial”
(Universidad Politenica de Catalunya, Barcelona, 2004),
Catalunya,
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5. The very beginning of heritages parks short
History:
- In 1972 in the USA, the National Park Service
promotes the National Coal Heritage Area
- In 1973, in Scotland, begin the rehabilitation of
New Lanark (cotton mill village)
Gradually, multiple initiatives of rehabilitation take place
in territories plenty with natural and cultural values, within
a management similar to that of national parks
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6. A research group born from a partnership
between the Universidad Politecnica de Cataluña and
MIT studied more then fifty heritages parks both in Europe
and in the USA. Their first conclusions was :
 The intelligent management of patrimonial
resources becomes, in many territories, a
key factor to their development, and that
because:
– Attracts tourism and investments
– Creates activities and jobs and
because, last, but not the least,
– Reinforces communities's self-esteem
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7. PARC PATRIMONIAL DE WILNO, WILNO
Manchestera
nd Salford
Parco del Delta del
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What is the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie?
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8. The creation a heritage park is a process
that involves:
 The inventory of the resources,
 It's hierarchyzation and interpretation
according to a certain history, articulating
historical aspects that explains landscapes
transformations
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9. ...the construction of a support structure
which by itineraries links cultural and natural
resources and these resources with centres
of interpretation, museums and other services
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10. Mondego river Heritage Park
Rehabilitation and Revitalization of Riverside Landscape between Porto da Raiva (Penacova) and
the river mouth at Figueira da Foz - 80 KM of Discoveries in the centre of PORTUGAL
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13. Mondego River Heritage Park Map
www.parquepatrimonialmondego.com/
www.parquepatrimonialmondego.com/
www.parquepatrimonialmondego.com/
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14. Main sub themes to be included in the MRHP:
 Railway lines and stations
 Old bridges, roads, paths and ancient trails
 Former industrial fabrics I Wharfs and jetties
 Natural and environmental heritage (wildlife, brooks,
streams, wetlands and riverside woodland)
 Civil Religious and Military architecture
 Ancient paddy fields (water mills)
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15. Main sub themes to be included in the MRHP:
 Irrigation systems and hydro agriculture (rice)
 River flood systems (dykes and sluices)
 Former labour occupations that took place at the river or
on its banks (washerwomen, fishermen, commercial and
transport boats, water transporters)‫‏‬
 Oral and ethnographic traditions (dancing and folk music,
storytellers) and other intangible heritage: Myths and
Legends of the Mondego
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16. MRHP strategies:
- To assume a contemporary vision of the concept of
heritage and the involvement of the local bodies and
population, as well.
- To use heritage as the guideline of the project, and the
Heritage Park instrument as aggregator of services, touristic
and pedagogical paths.
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17. Taking a proactive line, the MRHP aims to be a dynamic,
flexible infrastructure of leisure and culture adaptable to
visitors’s particular interests; to achieve this goal, it will
need to offer a range of services, characterised by:
• diversity (appealing to different public);
• a contemporary feel (conserving the past and its traditions,
while reinventing it);
• prioritizing production centres over exhibition spaces;
• by real-time interaction with visitors, to whom will be
afforded constant support both before and during the visit.
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18. A river…
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19. Disconnected heritage resources…
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20. Interpretation Centres - local history and landscapes transformations…
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21. Routes that link heritage resources to interpretation centres…
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22. A new map of the territory, a dynamic, flexible and structured one
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23. Ciclovia do Mondego, um projecto intermunicipal
Coimbra / Montemor-o-Velho / Figueira da Foz
Autor: Fábrica do Mondego, arqº Miguel Figueira
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24. Ciclovia das
Descobertas:
percursos estimulantes na
paisagem cultural
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25. Discovery cycle path: stimulating rides on the cultural landscape
The ring design structure brings an idea of enhancing the heritage, allowing
cyclists to choose different ways ( according to their own rhythm and
destination ) and appeals to residents use, as well
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30. Porto da Rai a
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31. Map of Mondego river ports and wharfs (19 th
century) between Figueira da Foz and Foz do Dão
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33.  Images: MRHP and some blogs
MHRP research and project team
 Project manager Nuno Martins
 Research areas
 Cultural Marketing Lénia Marques
 Architecture, Urbanism and Heritage Marta Carvalho and Sandra Peres
 Environment Fátima Neto
 Landscape Ecology Joana Mendes
 Geographic and Informational Systems Cláudia Costa
 Sustainable Tourism Joana Seco
 Multimedia Design Dominika Gorecka / Laura Lousã
 Information and Communication Techn. Vasco Leite and Nuno Mendes
 Strategic Environmental Evaluation José Daniel Vilhena
 Biology João Melo
 Anthropology Denise Esteves
 Ethnographicc gatherings Tiago Pereira
Contributions: trainees of different trainin schemesmesmesmesmes that took place in
Coimbra: Eco-Urbanism , Environmental, Heritage and Territory Project,
EnvironmentaL and Urbanistic Requalification and Ecological Architecture
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34.  Architecture INTELLIGENT GUIDE
MRHP
Central System
Web Site
www.parquepatrimonialmondego.com
Multimedia Kiosk
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35.  Features Route real-
time
Update
Advisory
and real-
POI real-time time feed
Update
Weather Audio Guides
Forecast
Points of
Services interest
On Service Details
Pharmacies
Give
Hotels Restaurants
Opinion
Community
Satellite Orientation
Assisted Take Me Take Photo
Navigation There

36.  www.parquepatrimonialmondego.com
Support:
ESRI Portugal I NETVITA I Eco-choice I Caixa Geral de Depositos
Thank you for your attention
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