Covilhã

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Covilhã
coat of arms map
Covilhã coat of arms
Covilhã (Portugal)
Covilhã
Basic data
Region : Centro
Sub-region : Beiras e Serra da Estrela
District : Castelo Branco
Concelho : Covilhã
Coordinates : 40 ° 17 ′  N , 7 ° 31 ′  W Coordinates: 40 ° 17 ′  N , 7 ° 31 ′  W
Residents: 51,797 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface: 555.61 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density : 93 inhabitants per km²
Postal code : 6200
Covilhã County
flag map
Flag of Covilhã Position of the Covilhã district
Residents: 51,797 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface: 555.61 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density : 93 inhabitants per km²
Number of municipalities : 21st
administration
Administration address: Câmara Municipal de Covilhã
Praça do Município
6200-151 Covilhã
President of the Câmara Municipal: Carlos Alberto Pinto PSD
Website: www.cm-covilha.pt

Covilhã [ kuviˈʎɐ̃ ] is a city ( Cidade ) in Portugal , on the southern edge of the Serra da Estrela Natural Park . In the administrative structure of Portugal , Covilhã is the seat of the district of the same name in the Castelo Branco district , in the Cova da Beira sub-region . On June 30, 2011, 51,797 inhabitants lived in the district on an area of ​​555.6 km², the population density was thus 93.2 inh / km².

View over Covilhã from the air

history

The origin of the city of Covilhã goes back to a prehistoric settlement of the Castro culture , which was probably built as a refuge for Lusitan shepherds. Since the 2nd century BC BC invading Romans subjugated and Romanized the settlement.

King D Dinis had the place fortified with new city walls in 1186 and gave it its first city rights. Covilhã remained an important manufacturing center for wool and fabrics, and its population grew. In the course of the Portuguese voyages of discovery from 1415 , the tax revenue and products of the place were important, and a large number of local men were recruited for the expansions. Names like Pêro da Covilhã or the cartographer Rui Faleiro were instrumental in these trips.

Its importance for the woolen production remained an essential factor of the place through the centuries. Worth mentioning here are the factory school founded by the Count of Ericeira in 1681 , and the Real Fábrica dos Panos ( Portuguese for: Royal Fabrics Factory) created in 1763 by the absolutist - mercantilist Prime Minister Marquês de Pombal , today the administrative headquarters of the university. The Museu de Lanifícios wool museum established there is one of the most important of its kind in Europe.

In 1870 the previous small town ( Vila ) was elevated to a town ( Cidade ). Covilhã has also been a university town since the Beira Interior University was founded in 1979 .

The nearby dam Cova do Viriato was put into operation in 1982, the dam Covão do Ferro in 1956.

administration

The town hall illuminated at night

Covilhã County

The neighboring districts of Covilhãs are (starting clockwise in the north): Seia , Manteigas , Guarda , Belmonte , Fundão , Pampilhosa da Serra and Arganil .

With the regional reform in September 2013, several municipalities were merged into new municipalities, so that the number of municipalities decreased from 31 to 21.

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

Covilhã County
local community Population
(2011) 		Area
km² 		Density of
population / km² 		LAU
code
Aldeia de Sao Francisco de Assis 632 16.08 39 050302
Barco e Coutada 879 24.03 37 050332
Boidobra 3,246 16.26 200 050305
Cantar-Galo e Vila do Carvalho 3,974 15.80 252 050333
Casegas e Ourondo 797 48.25 17th 050334
Cortes do Meio 884 47.40 19th 050308
Covilhã e Canhoso 19,022 25.95 733 050335
Dominguizo 1,119 4.95 226 050309
Erada 709 43.40 16 050310
Ferro 1,700 30.76 55 050311
Orjais 806 18.90 43 050312
Paul 1,624 23.99 68 050314
Peraboa 953 27.20 35 050315
Peso e Vales do Rio 1,411 15.89 89 050336
São Jorge da Beira 633 23.05 27 050318
Sobral de Sao Miguel 418 23.94 17th 050322
Teixoso e Sarzedo 4,490 46.69 96 050337
Tortosendo 5,624 17.75 317 050324
Unhais da Serra 1,398 29.93 47 050325
Vale Formoso e Aldeia do Souto 814 18.90 43 050338
Verdelhos 664 36.49 18th 050327
Covilhã County 51,797 555.61 93 0503

Population development

Population in Covilhã County (1801–2011)
1801 1849 1900 1930 1960 1981 1991 2001 2011
21,293 22,078 44,427 49,934 72,957 60,945 53,999 54.505 51,797

Municipal holiday

  • the 20th of October

Town twinning

Sports

Motorsport

Covilha is the starting point of the past to the European Hill Climb Championship scoring Mountain race Rampa Internacional Serra da Estrela . The race will continue and count towards the " FIA International Hill Climb Cup " rating .

Soccer

The place is home to the football club Sporting Clube da Covilhã , which last played (2013/14 season) in the Second Portuguese League . After playing his home games in the Estádio José Santos Pinto stadium for many years , he now welcomes his guests to the 3,000-seat Complexo Desportivo da Covilhã .

The Grupo Desportivo Covilhanenses and the Futebol Clube Estrela de Unhais da Serra , based in the municipality of Unhais da Serra, are two other of the numerous football clubs in the district.

Winter sports

Covilhã regularly organizes tournaments, in particular the freestyle snowboard tournament Snowboard Urban Festival , which is part of the European championship and Olympic qualification.

The main building of the university (with the historical factory), in downtown Covilhã

economy

The textile industry traditionally has a high priority in the local economy. Ores are also mined in the district. The Minas da Panasqueira mines , whose main mining front is now in Barroca Grande (municipality of Aldeia de São Francisco de Assis ), are among the five most important tungsten deposits in the world. In the Second World War , the Salazar regime delivered the heavy metal, which is important for the war effort , to Nazi Germany.

Tourism has gained in importance, especially as a nationally known center of winter sports. Cheese and sausage from Covilhã are nationally known specialties.

Besides the University are here, as a regional regional center also manage and trade, to name as factors, including in 2005, the shopping center SerraShopping the Sonae group.

The train station (around 1910)

traffic

With its station on the Linha da Beira Baixa railway line , Covilhã is integrated into the nationwide rail network. With its connection points to the A23 motorway , the city is also connected to the state's motorway network.

Covilhã is part of the national bus network of Rede Expressos .

The Covilha airport is used by private and sport bikes.

The Public transport is by the urban Covilha Transportes Urbanos since ensured that in cooperation with private bus companies (in public concession) bus routes under the name Covibus operate. In addition to the inner-city lines N1, N2 and N3, there are a number of other lines that connect the localities of the district.


sons and daughters of the town

João Gil live (2005)

José Sócrates (* 1957, Prime Minister of Portugal from 2005 to 2011) grew up in Covilhã.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 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. ↑ http://www.cm-covilha.pt/simples/?f=2702
  4. ↑ www.verportugal.net , accessed on September 18, 2013
  5. ^ Publication of the administrative reorganization in the Diário da República gazette of January 28, 2013, accessed on March 16, 2014
  6. ↑ Municípios Portugueses: Geminações de Cidades e Vilas , accessed on January 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ www.anmp.pt , accessed on December 16, 2012
  8. ↑ Article of December 16, 2012 in the weekly Expresso , accessed on December 16, 2012
  9. ↑ Line overview on the Covibus website, accessed on September 18, 2013