Do I have to learn Portuguese?

It’s helpful but not mandatory. Our board team should speak the language to organise everything – you can simply enjoy and join in.

How can I support the Portugal friends?

Come to the regulars’ table or become a member! We are always looking for people who want to bring this wonderful connection to life.

What makes the partnership special?

It is the mix of warm-hearted people, shared family history and a distance we bridge through friendship. We live Europe in a very practical way.

When is the best time to visit Santo Tirso?

For the São Bento festival, the first half of July is best; for a quiet visit to the monastery and museum, spring and autumn work well too.

Where is Santo Tirso?

Santo Tirso lies in beautiful northern Portugal, around 28 kilometres from Porto. The twinning brings Portuguese hospitality straight to Groß-Umstadt.

Who is my contact for Portugal?

The “Santo Tirso section board” is responsible for this partnership. All the threads for encounters and projects come together here.

Twin town since 1988

Santo Tirso: a friendship that connects

Portuguese hospitality with roots right here in Groß-Umstadt.

Explore the travel guide

14,000 inhabitants (town)

28 km from Porto

38 years of friendship

July São Bento festival

Since 1988, Santo Tirso in northern Portugal has been our official twin town – but the connection was alive long before that. Thanks to the large Portuguese community that has found a second home in Groß-Umstadt, twinning with Santo Tirso was a completely natural step.

Our twinning with Saint-Péray dates back to 1966, Santo Tirso has enriched our network since 1988, and Dicomano completed our European cloverleaf in 2010 – but none of these three links is as closely woven into everyday life in Groß-Umstadt as the one with Santo Tirso.

A large crowd gathers at night in front of an illuminated church in Santo Tirso while golden fireworks light up the sky during the 2025 São Bento festival.

Group photo of the delegations at the São Bento festival in Santo Tirso

How the friendship with Santo Tirso grew

1970s

Many people from Santo Tirso emigrate, a considerable number of them to southern Hesse.

1985

Santo Tirso is raised from vila (town) to cidade (city) status.

1 July 1988

Official twinning; in the same year the twinning committee’s first statutes come into force.

2026

38 years of twinning in practice.

Unlike Saint-Péray, where it all began with an official request, the link with Santo Tirso grew from the grassroots – over the years, family ties became a lived reality that the official twinning of 1988 simply confirmed.

On the river Ave in northern Portugal

Santo Tirso lies on the river Ave in the district of Porto. In 1985 it was raised from vila to cidade status. The area is traditionally described as a town of textiles and wine – the textile industry has shaped its economy for generations.

28 km from Porto · river Ave · Porto district · city since 1985

The river Ave winds through the greenery of Santo Tirso

São Bento monastery and the MIEC sculpture museum

Our tips for Santo Tirso and the surrounding area – open a card for all the details.

São Bento Monastery

~6 min walk

The Benedictine monastery on the river Ave gave the town its name. According to tradition it was founded in 978; the present church was built from 1659 to 1679 to plans by Frei João Turriano. The façade shows Saint Tirso between Benedict and Scholastica in three niches. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1834, the administration and later the town museum moved into parts of the complex. The monastery has been a national monument since 1910.

MIEC – Museu Internacional de Escultura Contemporânea

~5 min walk

Open-air museum of contemporary sculpture: at the suggestion of sculptor Alberto Carneiro, around 55 works have been created since 1990 in ten international symposia (1991–2015) and other projects, spread across the town’s squares and parks. The museum building next to the monastery was designed by Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto de Moura.

Museu Municipal Abade Pedrosa

~6 min walk

The town museum in the monastery’s former guest house shows archaeological finds from the region, from the Middle Palaeolithic to the beginning of industrialisation. The rooms remodelled by Siza Vieira and Souto de Moura opened in 2016; the museum shares the complex with the MIEC.

Castro do Monte Padrão

~4.0 km away

Fortified hilltop settlement with traces from the Late Bronze Age to the 17th century, a national monument since 1910. The visitor centre, opened in 2008, explains the excavations; admission is free.

Loja Interativa de Turismo

~3 min walk

Official tourist information office on the central largo with advice, town maps and information on museums, trails and events. Phone +351 252 830 411.

Green hills and valleys near Santo Tirso

Textile town amid green vineyards

Santo Tirso is traditionally regarded as a town of textiles and wine. The textile industry has shaped the region’s economy for generations, while vineyards characterise the green, rolling landscape along the Ave.

Ave valley region

Anyone who has been to one of our Portuguese wine tastings at the Pfälzer Schloss has already had a small taste of the wine culture that enriches this twinning.

Getting there & best time to visit

Porto nearest airport

28 km Porto – Santo Tirso

July São Bento festival

spring / autumn quieter sightseeing

Groß-Umstadt ······· Porto ······· Santo Tirso

Explore Santo Tirso before you arrive

Sights, food & drink, shopping, accommodation and everything practical – use the filters to find day trips in the surrounding area too.

Family ties across generations

Our Santo Tirso section looks after this twinning. You don’t need to speak the language to love Portugal: it helps if our committee speaks Portuguese, but as a participant you can simply enjoy the encounter and join in.

Next date: São Bento festival in July (delegation visit)

During the 2025 São Bento festival, a large crowd gathers at night in a busy, decorated street in Santo Tirso. Historic buildings and market stalls are lit by street lamps and the moon as people chat and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

Experience twinning in our twin towns

News from the twinning

Frequently asked questions

Be part of this friendship

Whether you have Portuguese roots yourself or are simply curious about São Bento monastery and the artworks of the MIEC: come along to our regular get-together, talk to our Santo Tirso section or become a member right away.

Become a member