Monchique

The title of this article is ambiguous. Further meanings are listed under Monchique (disambiguation) .

Monchique
coat of arms map
Basic data
Region :	Algarve
Sub-region :	Algarve
District :	Faro
Concelho :	Monchique
Coordinates :	37 ° 19 ′  N , 8 ° 33 ′  W Coordinates: 37 ° 19 ′  N , 8 ° 33 ′  W
Residents:	4817 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface:	159.28 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density :	30 inhabitants per km²
Height:	458  m
Postal code :	8550-458
politics
Mayor :	Ana Paula Gervásio Penteado Correia de Almeida ( PS )
Address of the municipal administration:	Junta de Freguesia de Monchique Rua D. Francisco Gomes do Avelar, 8 8550-458 Monchique
Monchique county
flag map
Residents:	6045 (as of June 30, 2011)
Surface:	395.31 km² (as of January 1, 2010)
Population density :	15 inhabitants per km²
Number of municipalities :	3
administration
Administration address:	Câmara Municipal de Monchique Travessa da Portela, no . 2 8550-470 Monchique
President of the Câmara Municipal:	Rui Miguel André
Website:	www.cm-monchique.pt

Monchique [ mõˈʃik (ɨ) ] is a small town (Vila) in the Serra de Monchique on the northern edge of the Algarve in Portugal in the Faro district .

View over Monchique

The city, located in a valley and on the slope of the Fóia mountain , is known as a health resort and among tourists mainly because of the six baths " Caldas de Monchique " located in its vicinity (7 km) and the 902 m high panoramic mountain Fóia. In the surrounding Serra de Monchique mountains, springs arise that fill a large part of the reservoirs in the Algarve.

history

At the Caldas de Monchique spa

The area, which has been populated since the Stone Age , received its first urban settlement when the Romans built the site "Mons Cicus" to use the Caldas de Monchique (medicinal springs).

In the 16th century, the young king Sebastian Monchique visited and intended to elevate the place to vila (small town). The king died shortly afterwards in the Battle of Alcácer-Quibir and Portugal subsequently lost its independence, which it only regained with difficulty after 1640 . Monchique was only elevated to vila in 1773 . At the same time, it became the seat of its own district by splitting off from the Silves district . In the meantime it had gained importance as a production site for wool and linen and as a supplier of chestnut wood and wood products. Due to industrialization , the place then lost its emerging importance.

Today Monchique is especially known for its thermal springs and the Serra de Monchique , also internationally. British Prime Minister David Cameron and his family spent their 2013 summer vacation here, mainly hiking, and he praised the gastronomic offer and the wide views, among other things. a. to the nearby beaches.

In August 2018, during the enormous drought and heat in Europe in 2018 , major forest fires broke out near the place . Only after a week could the fire be brought under control by the fire brigade. A total of 41 people were injured and around 27,000 hectares of forest were destroyed. More than 1,300 firefighters were on duty.

administration

circle

Monchique is the administrative seat of a district of the same name ( concelho ). The neighboring areas are (starting clockwise in the north): Odemira , Silves , Portimão , Lagos and Aljezur .

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

Monchique county

local community	Population (2011)	Area km²	Density of population / km²	LAU code
Alferce	441	96.12	5	080901
Jam	787	139.91	6th	080902
Monchique	4,817	159.28	30th	080903
Monchique county	6,045	395.31	15th	0809

Population development

Population in Monchique County (1801–2011)
1801	1849	1900	1930	1960	1981	1991	2001	2011
4,658	6 891	11 517	14 205	14 779	9 609	7 309	6,974	6 441

Municipal holiday

• Ascension of Christ

economy

Tourism in the thermal springs plays an essential role. Also to be mentioned are handicrafts , wood processing, pig breeding and agriculture, including the production of olive oil and cork . The local ham and sausages are well-known, and the regional schnapps specialty Medronho is also produced here.

Personalities

The author and publicist José António Gascon (1851–1950) was born here.

In Monchique, the musician and record producer Manfred “Manne” Praeker (1951–2012) ran his recording studio “Mad-Mix-Studio”.

Web links

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

• Map of the Freguesia Monchique at the Instituto Geográfico do Exército
• Official website of the city administration
• Monchique and surroundings (text and images)

gallery

• 

  In the old town of Monchique

• 

  Alley in Monchique

• 

  Alleys in Monchique

• 

  Church in Monchique

• 

  Manueline portal of the church

• 

  Watercourse in the Caldas de Monchique spa

• 

  In the Caldas de Monchique

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. ↑ History page ( Memento of the original from January 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the district website, accessed September 21, 2013 
5. ↑ Report on the meeting with the mayor ( memento of the original from December 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the city administration website, accessed September 21, 2013 
6. ↑ After a week of forest fire: fire extinguished in the Algarve . In: tagesschau.de , August 10, 2018. Accessed August 10, 2018.
7. ↑ Forest fire in Portugal keeps fire brigade in suspense . In: Salzburger Nachrichten , August 8, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2018.