Society

The historic Rectorate building plays host to the 28th Minerals, Precious Stones and Fossils Fair, from 1 to 3 June. This three-day event is a precious opportunity for admirers from all over the world to observe and even purchase exceptional minerals, gem stones and other precious rocks of rare beauty and undisputable scientific value.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit Portugal on 30 and 31 May. This visit follows an invitation from Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa. The programme of the official visit includes a visit to i3S - Investigation and Health Research Institute in Porto. The German Chancellor will also meet PhD students in the context of the "Meeting with Citizens" initiative.

François Ozon directed "Frantz", a drama film whose plot unveils in the aftermath of WWI. Anna, a young German has the daily routine of visiting the grave of her fiancé, Frantz, who was killed in the war. One day, she encounters Adrien, a mysterious Frenchman who also visits her fiancé's grave.

The 14th "Porto Antigo" [Old Porto] tour is set for 10th June and registrations are already open. Like in previous editions, the mountain bike route (BTT) will ride through the streets and alleys of Porto, passing through the most emblematic areas of the city.

"A different side of the extinction story" is the main purpose of the exhibition "Extinction - The end or the beginning", organised by the Natural History Museum of London, jointly with OTW and on show at The Customs Building in Porto from 28th May till 8th October.

Eduardo Souto de Moura has been awarded the Golden Lion at the 16th International Architecture Exhibit at the Venice Biennale, which opened on 26th May. Portugal enters the competition with the "Public Without Rethoric" exhibition.The International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale will be on show till 25 November.

Already one of the largest events of contemporary culture in Europe, Serralves em Festa has the party itinerary sorted for you. The party is officially "on" as of June 1st and it will for sure enliven the city with gaiety, buzzing with people from all over the world and creative events.

The Start & Scale Week was held from 5 to 11 May in Porto. This was a truly tour de force in a city that breaths entrepreneurship, innovation and technology. Over seven days, the city was taken over by the creative impetus of developers, researchers, hackers, programmers, gamers, policy makers, decision makers, who shared knowledge, networked and organised masterclasses and workshops to share best practices and technical solutions.

The Guerra Junqueiro House-Museum hosts a tribute concert to Günter Grass, by the soloists of the Portuguese Symphonic Band, led by conductor Francisco Ferreira. This concert is entrance free but limited to room capacity. It is scheduled to start at 9.30 pm and it is part of the ancillary programme to the exhibit "Günter Grass: Encontros".

The Transport Decarbonisation Alliance (TDA) was officially launched on 24 May, in Leipzig, Germany. The TDA Members, of which the Atlantic Front comprising the cities of Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia are founding members, join forces to promote the global transformation of the transport sector. The urgent measures on the climate agenda are speeding up the implementation of a net-zero emission mobility system before 2050.