Batalha

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Batalha
coat of arms map
Batalha coat of arms
Batalha (Portugal)
Batalha
Basic data
Region : Centro
Sub-region : Region of Leiria
District : Leiria
Concelho : Batalha
Coordinates : 39 ° 39 ′  N , 8 ° 49 ′  W Coordinates: 39 ° 39 ′  N , 8 ° 49 ′  W
Residents: 8548 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface: 28.42 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density : 301 inhabitants per km²
Postal code : 2240-118
politics
Mayor : Germano Santos Pragosa
Address of the municipal administration: Junta de Freguesia de Batalha
Rua Infante D. Fernando, nº 432
2240-118 Batalha
Website: www.jf-batalha.pt
Batalha district
flag map
Flag of Batalha Location of the Batalha district
Residents: 15,805 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface: 103.42 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density : 153 inhabitants per km²
Number of municipalities : 4th
administration
Administration address: Câmara Municipal de Batalha
Rua Infante D. Fernando
2440-118 Batalha
President of the Câmara Municipal: Paulo Jorge Frazão Batista dos Santos ( PSD )
Website: www.cm-batalha.pt
Batalha district

Batalha ( port. Battle ) is a Portuguese town ( Vila ). It has 8,548 inhabitants (as of June 30, 2011) and is located about 120 kilometers north of Lisbon .

It is known for the eponymous monastery Batalha , the Mosteiro de Santa Maria da Vitória . It was built from the 14th to the 16th centuries and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983. The Grutas da Moeda caves are also in the district.

coat of arms

In silver a continuous red cross with the Mother of God and the child. It is angled by four lily end crosses, which are diagonally in green and red. A four-tower wall crown rests on the shield . In the white band at the base of the shield, the place name in black letters "VILA DA BATALHA".

geography

Batalha is about 10 km south of the district capital Leiria , about 20 km west of the pilgrimage site Fátima , and about 120 km north of the capital Lisbon . Much of the district is covered by forests, especially spruce and cork oak .

history

Front of the monastery
Changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in the cloister of the monastery
Batalha Monastery, cloister

Finds in the circle prove a settlement back to the Paleolithic . The Roman town of Collipo, a city in the province of Lusitania , later existed near São Sebastião de Freixo .

After the revolution of 1383 there was a war for the Portuguese throne. On the afternoon of August 14, 1385 , the Portuguese troops emerged victorious from the battle of Aljubarrota against the outnumbered Castilian army, thus ensuring the independence of the Kingdom of Portugal . As a thank you for the presumed heavenly assistance, King D. João I promised to build a mighty monastery, the unfinished Batalha Monastery, built over several centuries . In connection with its construction, the king founded the city of Batalha ( Portuguese for battle) , starting from a small town already located here .

The legend of the Aljubarrota baker's wife
Azulejos with the legend of the Aljubarrota baker

In connection with the Battle of Aljubarrota, the legend of the Padeira de Aljubarrota , which is still popular today, arose : the baker of Aljubarrota. According to her, the baker's wife Brites de Almeida was in town at the time of the battle, while seven Spaniards fled the battlefield and hid in the baker's empty house. On her return, she found the front door locked, suspected, and searched her home for intruders. She finally found the seven Castilians in her oven, and shooed them out one by one to kill them one by one with her oven slide. Although historians pointed to a legend without historical evidence from the start, the episode, interpreted in a humorous and patriotic way, has survived to this day.

administration

Batalha district

Batalha is the administrative seat of a district of the same name ( concelho ) in the Leiria district . On June 30, 2011, the district had 15,805 inhabitants on an area of ​​103.4 km².

The neighboring areas are (starting clockwise in the north): Leiria , Vila Nova de Ourém , Alcanena and Porto de Mós .

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

local community Population
(2011) 		Area
km² 		Density of
population / km² 		LAU
code
Batalha 8,548 28.42 301 100401
Golpilheira 1,528 5.06 302 100404
Reguengo do Fetal 2,169 28.17 77 100402
São Mamede 3,560 41.77 85 100403
Batalha district 15,805 103.42 153 1004

Population development

Population in Batalha County (1801–2011)
1801 1849 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 2001 2004 2011
2,510 2,445 7.107 9,634 13,811 12,588 13,329 15.002 15,542 15,837

Municipal holiday

  • August 14th

Town twinning

Joaquim Augusto Mouzinho de Albuquerque

sons and daughters of the town

Web links

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

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. ↑ a b www.ine.pt - indicator resident population by place of residence and sex; Decennial in the database of the Instituto Nacional de Estatística
  4. ↑ www.verportugal.net , accessed on November 6, 2013
  5. ^ Page of town twinning on the website of the town administration, accessed on November 9, 2013
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