Yes,,, in fact, the author lived in Porto and taught English at one point. from the store's site:
Livraria Lello: The Inspiration for Harry Potter?
The story goes that Livraria Lello is actually the inspiration behind some of the famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter. This story began when JK Rowling used to live in Porto as an English teacher, visiting the bookstore at the weekend. It’s easy to see how this story could be true, with the magical feeling of the bookstore, the bookshelves, and the ‘floating’ staircases and bridges.
Enjoy Portugal! It is a lovely country; Lisbon, a fabulous city, filled with art, music, great food. If you go north, you might enjoy this bookstore: Livraria Lello, Porto
‘The founders, José and Antonio Lello, wanted to create a building that would stand out in the city and the world. So the engineer, Francisco Xavier Esteves, created this neo-Gothic building with its stained-glass skylight, ornate wood carvings, forked spiral staircase, bas-reliefs of Portuguese literary figures carved into the pillars, and allegorical figures of Art and Science on its façade. It’s impossible not to feel a sense of history and grandeur when you come through the door.’—Aurora Pedro Pinto, owner of Livraria Lello in Porto
Yes,,, in fact, the author lived in Porto and taught English at one point. from the store's site:
Livraria Lello: The Inspiration for Harry Potter?
The story goes that Livraria Lello is actually the inspiration behind some of the famous Hogwarts scenery in Harry Potter. This story began when JK Rowling used to live in Porto as an English teacher, visiting the bookstore at the weekend. It’s easy to see how this story could be true, with the magical feeling of the bookstore, the bookshelves, and the ‘floating’ staircases and bridges.
Enjoy Portugal! It is a lovely country; Lisbon, a fabulous city, filled with art, music, great food. If you go north, you might enjoy this bookstore: Livraria Lello, Porto
‘The founders, José and Antonio Lello, wanted to create a building that would stand out in the city and the world. So the engineer, Francisco Xavier Esteves, created this neo-Gothic building with its stained-glass skylight, ornate wood carvings, forked spiral staircase, bas-reliefs of Portuguese literary figures carved into the pillars, and allegorical figures of Art and Science on its façade. It’s impossible not to feel a sense of history and grandeur when you come through the door.’—Aurora Pedro Pinto, owner of Livraria Lello in Porto
Happy travels!