Alcoutim

Alcoutim
coat of arms map
Basic data
Region :	Algarve
Sub-region :	Algarve
District :	Faro
Concelho :	Alcoutim
Coordinates :	37 ° 28 ′  N , 7 ° 28 ′  W Coordinates: 37 ° 28 ′  N , 7 ° 28 ′  W
Residents:	921 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface:	131.52 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density :	7 inhabitants per km²
Postal code :	8970-066
politics
Address of the municipal administration:	Junta de Freguesia de Alcoutim Rua 1º de Maio, 2 8970-056 Alcoutim
Alcoutim district
flag map
Residents:	2917 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface:	575.36 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density :	5.1 inhabitants per km²
Number of municipalities :	4th
administration
Administration address:	Câmara Municipal de Alcoutim Rua do Município, 12 8970-066 Alcoutim
President of the Câmara Municipal:	Francisco Augusto Caimoto Amaral ( PSD )
Website:	www.cm-alcoutim.pt

Alcoutim is a small town ( Vila ) and a district ( Concelho ) with 2917 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2011) in Portugal , in the Faro district . It is located in the extreme northeast of the Algarve on the border river Guadiana .

View from Alcoutim to the Sanlúcar de Guadiana opposite

history

Tombs (port. Port .: Antas ) and other finds prove a prehistoric settlement, such as the menhirs of Lavajo or the Anta do Malhão. As early as the end of the Neolithic , the Copper Age and the Bronze Age , copper, iron and manganese were shipped from there - ores that were mined in the area. The ships on the Guadiana had to wait due to the effects of the tides on the river near Alcoutim in order to be able to travel further downstream at high tide - certainly one reason why a town came into being at this point.

From the 2nd century BC BC the Romans conquered the Iberian Peninsula . The dam "Barragem Romana de Álamo" and the villa rustica "Montinho das Laranjeiras" have been preserved from this time as a place in the province of Lusitania . The Visigoths followed the Romans and the remains of their church can be found at the villa.

The name Alcoutim comes from the Arabic القطامي ( Al-Qutami ), which means "the peregrine falcon" in German. In the course of their conquest from 711, the Moors also subjugated the area of ​​Alcoutim. They built the Arab fortress of Alcoutim, now called Castelo Velho ( Old Castle ). In addition, the remains of Islamic country houses have been found near the old Roman villa. During the Reconquista , Alcoutim fell to Portugal in 1240.

King D Dinis gave Alcoutim town rights in 1304 and had the castle rebuilt in order to secure the strategically important place near the border on the Guadiana. Because of this border situation Alcoutim was affected by constant armed conflicts with the neighboring kingdom of Castile . In 1371 the Peace Treaty of Alcoutim was signed, with which the first war between Ferdinand I of Portugal and Castile ended. In connection with the war of restoration in the 17th century, the fortifications in Alcoutim were strengthened.

In the Castelo de Alcoutim castle

Culture and sights

Alcoutim is known for its handicrafts , especially for its embroidery , Arraiolos- style wool carpets , basketry and pottery . For some time now, the jute dolls with representations of typical figures from the region and the artistic containers made from corn stalks have become known.

Among other things, archaeological excavation sites from different epochs, some sacred buildings and the fortifications can be visited. The main attractions of the city are:

• Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Conceição - Church from the 16th century, reconstructed in the 18th century, impressive baroque staircase
• Casa dos Conde - old mansion in the city center on Rua 1.de Maio, today houses the city library
• Igreja Matriz - the main church of the city, built between 1538 and 1554, noteworthy the Renaissance portal, above the portal the coat of arms of the Counts of Vila Real and Alcoutim.
• Castelo de Alcoutim - The castle, the main attraction of the place, was built in the 14th century as a border defense. In the 17th century the artillery was expanded, and military use did not end until 1878. Before the castle was classified as a property of public interest in 1973, it served as a slaughterhouse. The complex houses the castle museum, in which the remains of the old walls and archaeological finds are exhibited.
• Capela de Santo António : The small chapel houses the Museum of Sacred Art ( Núcleo Museológico de Arte Sacra de Alcoutim )
• Museu do Rio : The ethnography and nature museum deals with the Guadiana river, its history as a border river and as an area of ​​activity for fishermen and smugglers

administration

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Alcoutim is the seat of a district of the same name ( concelho ), which borders on Spain to the east . The neighboring areas are (starting clockwise in the north): Mértola , Castro Marim , Tavira , Loulé and Almodôvar .

With the regional reform in September 2013, the municipalities of Alcoutim and Pereiro were merged to form the new municipalities União das Freguesias de Alcoutim e Pereiro , so that the following four municipalities ( Freguesias ) now belong to the Alcoutim district:

The following municipalities ( Freguesias ) are in the Alcoutim district:

Alcoutim district

local community	Population (2011)	Area km²	Density of population / km²	LAU code
Alcoutim e Pereiro	1,134	231.17	5	080206
Giões	256	71.80	4th	080202
Martim Longo	1,030	128.45	8th	080203
Vaqueiros	497	143.94	3	080205
Alcoutim district	2,917	575.36	5	0802

Population development

Population in the Alcoutim district (1801–2011)
1801	1849	1900	1930	1960	1981	1991	2001	2011
7014	7045	9306	9124	9288	5262	4571	3770	2917

Municipal holiday

• second Friday in September

Town twinning

•  France : Blain (Loire-Atlantique)

Web links

Commons : Alcoutim  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Map of the Freguesia Alcoutim at the Instituto Geográfico do Exército
• Official website of the district administration

Individual evidence

1. ↑ www.ine.pt - indicator resident population by place of residence and sex; Decennial in the database of the Instituto Nacional de Estatística
2. ↑ ^{a b} Overview of code assignments from Freguesias on epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu
3. ↑ www.ine.pt - indicator resident population by place of residence and sex; Decennial in the database of the Instituto Nacional de Estatística
4. ↑ http://www.verportugal.net/Faro/Alcoutim/Historia accessed on August 26, 2013
5. ↑ www.monumentos.pt (under Cronologia ), accessed on September 10, 2013
6. ^ Publication of the administrative reorganization in the Diário da República gazette of January 28, 2013, accessed on March 16, 2014
7. ↑ www.anmp.pt , accessed on September 10, 2013