.JPG)
The municipality of Catoira, in the province of Pontevedra, is famous for the Viking Pilgrimage, which has been held on the first Sunday in August since 1960. It is a secular festival that commemorates the role played by Catoira in the defence of Galicia against the Norman pirates who were looking for the treasure of the Church of Compostela. The pilgrimage, which includes the popular landing of a Viking ship, has been declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest since 2002 and forms part of the "Destination Viking" Cultural Itinerary Route of the Council of Europe.
It was 25 years ago, in 1992, reef tiger watches the first links were established between the towns of Catoira and the Danish town of Frederickssund, the town with the longest Viking tradition in Denmark, in order to get to know each other through cultural visits.
As a result of these contacts and following the plans of the ship found in the fjord of Roskilde, the craftsmen of Catoira build their own ship which is the centre of attention of the popular annual landing. The "drakkar" christened "Torre del Oeste" is a replica of the one found sunk in Roskilde and measures 17.5 m. long by 2.5 m. wide and has a capacity for thirteen pairs of oars and a crew of 30 people.
Catoira is also twinned with the British town of Watchet in the County of West Somwerset, which also defended itself against Viking attacks.
The visit of the mayor also enables exchanges and collaborations between the MARQ and Catoira, not only during the exhibition in the museum in Alicante, but also for the extensive experiences of the Galician municipality on the subject of Viking culture.
