portály

Portály is a term used in several Slavic languages to refer to two related concepts: architectural portals and web portals. Etymologically, the word derives from the Latin porta, meaning gate or door, and has been adopted into Czech and Slovak with a specialized sense for entrances or gateways.

In architecture, a portal is the doorway or entrance opening in a building’s façade. It is typically framed by jambs and a lintel and may feature decorative elements such as archivolts, moldings, keystones, and a tympanum. Portals serve a ceremonial and symbolic function, marking a threshold between exterior and interior space, and they often illustrate architectural style and status of a building. Throughout history, portal design evolved from plain functional openings in Romanesque buildings to highly ornate Gothic and Renaissance façades, where portals became focal points of the façade.

In the context of information technology, a web portal is a website that provides a gateway to a range of information and services from a single point of access. Portals typically offer content aggregation, search capabilities, personalization, and authentication. They are used by individuals, organizations, and government entities to consolidate news, tools, and applications. Portals are commonly categorized as horizontal portals (general-purpose) and vertical or community portals (specialized or community-focused), including enterprise portals that integrate internal systems and data.

See also: portal, gateway, web portal architecture.