The Tui area was inhabited since prehistoric times. Evidence of this are the sites found during construction of the highway Vigo-Tui, on the border with Porriño, dating from the Lower Paleolithic period which was the oldest in Galicia. The fertile valley of the Minho and its magnificent natural conditions allowed the Tudense territory to accommodate human settlement from the earliest times. The vestiges are from the Palaeolithic period in the fluvial terraces of the river Minho and Louro and from the Neolithic period are the Carrasqueira ax or megalithic monuments. The introduction of metallurgy left testimonies like the helmet of bronze Caldelas axes or engravings of Randufe.
Middle Ages
Its original local name, Tude, was mentioned by Pliny the Elder and by Ptolemy in the first century AD. It became an episcopal see no later than the 6th century, during the Suevic rule, when Bishop Anila went to the II Council of Braga. Later, in the Visigothic period, it briefly served as the capital of a Galician subkingdom under king Wittiza. After the campaigns of Alfonso I of Asturias against the Moors, the town lay abandoned in the largely empty buffer zone between Moors and Christians, being later part of the "Repoblación" effort carried out a century later, during the reign of Ordoño I of Asturias. In the 10th century, it was raided by Vikings, being abandoned and later re-established in its current location. Today the town centre is near the Inn of San Telmo. On the top of the hill, the cathedral preserves Romanesque elements in its main vestibule, and the Gothic period in the western vestibule. The town has two museums, one dedicated to archaeology and sacred art, and the other is the diocesan museum.
Economic and productive activity
The industry in the city of Tui is gradually gaining weight, as the construction of industrial estate areas as many national and international companies have established a production facility there. Yet the industry is not more than 20% of GDP in the city. Construction one of the fastest growing sectors of Tui, estimated at 4.2% in 2005. The trend shows an increase in residential construction, driven by the slight slowdown in the increase of the cost of living.
