"The Historic Centre of Oporto developed from a small nucleus on the hill of Sé, where human occupation is documented as far back as the 1st millennium BC. Successive occupations brought together the most diverse social and economic interests, expanding and transforming the city.

A place of great aesthetic value, it has an urban fabric and numerous historical buildings that bear witness to its development over more than a thousand years. A masterpiece of human creativity, in the harmonious articulation of the streets with the surrounding area and especially with the Douro River and Vila Nova de Gaia, it presents a visual unity that gives it one of its most important aspects, its panoramic nature.

As a living organism, integrated in an active urban area, it has become a recognized "exceptional universal value" that deserves special protection and enhancement".