the 15th century. The situation would worsen during the 17th and 18th centuries. The port drastically reduced its activity due to the mentioned geographical causes. Furthermore, political decisions and dynastic conflicts provoked a general decay in trade, thus resulting in the depopulation of the city; the population was reduced in half during that time, also affected by epidemics.
In the beginning of the 19th century Pontevedra was little more than a small backward town. Fishing, arts and crafts kept the economy going. Yet, with the establishment of new provincial divisions in 1833 Pontevedra suddenly saw itself transformed into a provincial capital. Pontevedra then grew and slowly became an administrative centre. The introduction of the railway also reconnected the city with the rest of the country, after having lost its harbour. All in all, Pontevedra sees in this century a cultural, economic and urban revival. It is in Pontevedra when, in 1853, Xoán Manuel Pintos publishes the first book in modern Galician, "A gaita gallega".
Pontevedra entered the 20th century with great prospects. At that point the city was the Galician cultural and political heart.Galicianists - such as Alexandre Bóveda and Castelao - took up residence in the city, where they founded the Partido Galeguista ("Galicianist Party") in 1931, origin of contemporary Galician nationalism. Yet, the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) and subsequentFrancoist dictatorship (1939–1975) suddenly ended Pontevedra's progression. Political repression and economic hardships forced many to emigrate. It was only during the 1960s, with the introduction of some industrial activity, when the local economy partially recovered. However, these same industries would later cause serious environmental and health concerns, forcing the eventual closure of some of them.
With the end of the dictatorship in 1977 the construction sector also developed. Improvements in the communications network during the
