The city of Covilhã is the most important
city in the region of Serra da Estrela. Located only at 20 Km
of the highest point of Portugal, the all area where today is
the city used to be a refuge of shepherds and a roman bastion
known as Cava Juliana or Silia Herminia. Today, located between
450 and 800 metres of altitude, it has become one of the most
distinguished cities of Portugal with 45.000 habitants.
In 1186 the king D. Sancho I turned this roman bastion into a city
whose name turn out to be Covilhã. This same king was the responsible
for the building of the walls of the first castle of the city. Lately,
the king D.Dinis built the wall of a remarkable medieval quarter called
Portas do Sol which can be admired even today in the oldest part of
Covilhã.
Since the beginning this town has always had a strait connection
with the woollen manufacture. Known as the Portuguese Manchester , Covilhã
has followed a tradition of 800 years and still produces material for
well-known marks as Hugo Boss, Armani, Zenga, Marks & Spencer, Yves
St.Laurent, Calvin Klein and Christian Dior. Nowadays the production
is remarkable reaching the 40 000 Km of cloth per year.
The industry in the city began mostly due to two small courses of
water, the Carpinteira and the Dolgoldra, which crossed the city and
allowed the factories to use it's hydraulic energy . That's why the
main factories in the city were near these two courses of water. We
can still find in the banks of Carpinteira traces of the old school-factory
founded by the Count of Ericeira in 1681 and near to Degoldra the Royal
Factory of the Clothes founded the Marquês de Pombal in 1763 and
where we can find today the University of Beira Interior and the Museum
of Laníficios, one of the best in Europe.
In this museum we can meet all the history of woollen manufacture
in the region . Created to save and to restore the area that was once
occupied by one of Covilhã's most important factories, the museum
has been involved in several projects that allowed it to gain importance
and prestige at an international level.
Today, mostly due to the place where it is located it plays an important
role at a cultural and even at a pedagogical level.
With about 14 000 students, 5.500 of whom are university students,
the city of Covilhã has an intense nocturne life spread along
several bars and discos. While you are visiting Covilhã you can
also enjoy several activities that the local tourist agencies have prepared
for you. You can ride a horse or enjoy a ballon or a helicopter tour
all around the region or even learn how to ski or climb a mountain.
If you prefer to walk you can also do it enjoying the mountain's fresh
air in selected and prepared paths or you can go to a kart track. Today
Covilhã is a city full of live cheered by the big markets and
fairs that take place almost every weekend.
As strange as it might seem Covilhã, in spite of not being
surrounded by sea, has played an important role in the XV and XVI when
the Portuguese maritime expedition began. Most of the men who were part
of this ambitious project, like Infante D. Henrique, Pêro da Covilhã,
Pedro Álvares Cabral, Mestre José Vizinho, Rui Faleiro
or Francisco Faleiro, were born in this region.
Today Covilhã has turned to another area outside the woollen
manufacturer. Due to it's proximity to the Serra da Estrela it has become
an important spot for tourists who choose this city to stay while they
are visiting the area. Although this choice is not only influenced by
the Serra. Covilhã has other kind of charms. It is located right
in the middle of 9 out 10 Portuguese historical villages. These are
included in a recovery programme whose main goal is to protect this
relinquishes of the Medieval Era. At north we can find the villages
of Almeida, Linhares, Marialva, Castelo Rodrigo and Castelo Mendo, at
south you can visit th villages of Castelo Novo, Monsanto and Idanha-
a -Velha and at east you can find the lovely village of Sortelha . In
all this region you can taste the delicious specialities of the region
as the roasted kid, the grilled trout, the cheese from Serra da Estrela
made from sheep milk, the rye bread or the traditional red bean soup
among many others.
It is also important to note that this city has developed in it's
area the production of wine, intituled Cova da Beira, and of several
fruits like cherries, peaches, apples and pears.
You can also see in the area several granite houses and water moved
presses in small villages as Unhais da Serra or Paul. It is perfectly
clear the medieval traces that still exist in all the historical villages
of the region. But, we can also find some baroque traces if, for instance,
we visit the Church of Sant'Iago where it's dome witnesses baroque influence
in the region.
CASTELO
BRANCO
Castelo Branco is the capital city of Beira Baixa. Built
at 472 m of altitude, in a place were existed the old roman city
of Castra Lenco between the rivers of Ponsul and Ocreza.
Geographically, the city of Castelo Branco is in the
middle of several ridges of mountains like Serra da Estrela, Lousã,
Gardunha, Malcata, Alvelos and Muradal.
The city of Castelo Branco divides two distinct worlds: the world
of granite and the world of schist.
In spite of the existence of a small community in the area since
the XII century it was only in the XIII century that Castelo Branco
started to play an important role at a national level.
We can still find there ruins of an old Templary castle. Around this
castle the community started to grow and to expand dedicating themselves
mostly to work the land. Most of the area used for agriculture at the
time is still used today for the same purpose although nowadays this
isn't the main activity of the city.
As a matter of fact several intents have been taken in order to promote
the industrial growth of this city through the financial support of
new industrial companies. The main economic goal is to create several
small and medium diversified enterprises or to invest in the development
of a workmanship industry.
Inspired in the Orient, one of the most famous products of Castelo
Branco are the quilts known since the XVI century. Similar to the quilts
of Toledo and Guadalupe, the quilts of Castelo Branco have always been
one important symbol of the city being now quite valious as it is an
art quite unique with a proper and interesting simbology.
GUARDA
One of the most important cities of the region of Beira Interior
is Guarda. Located in the north of the region of Beira
Interior in a area called Beira Alta, Guarda is the highest city
of the country reaching the 1056 meters in a place called Torre
de Menagem do Castelo.
Surrounded by several important and typical cities of the region
like Celorico da Beira, Pinhel, Sabugal, Manteigas or Belmonte,
Guarda has a medium size area with 52 rural and 3 urban communities.
As it is the highest city in the country, Guarda has always played
an important role in it's defence. Due to her altitude it is possible
to have a visual dominium of the river banks of the region, like the
Mondego or the Côa.
Although in the beginning the natural environment of the region wasn't
the most attractive for the settle of a community we can now prove that
people have been living in the region since the end of the Neolithic
period. One of the traces that can lead us to that conclusion is a monument
dated of the III called Anta de Pêra do Moço dated from
the III millennium.
In all region we can find traces of the Bronze Age or the Iron Age.
This traces are intimately related with the mining of iron and lead
and with the control of the natural gates through which the ore came
into the country.
In the Medieval Era, Guarda was one of the most important fortifications
of the country. It was built with the intent of defend the frontier
with the kingdoms of Castela e Leão and protect the natural entrance
through Serra da Estrela.
At 27 th of November of 1199 the king D. Sancho I, realized the important
role that Guarda had in the defence and protection of the country and
understood the need to create an important urban centre in the region.
Guarda has then become a city whose development and prosperity was being
taken into account.
The story of Guarda, as a city, began in the Medieval Era with the beginning
of the Portuguese nationality. With the enlargement of the Portuguese
territory, which now included the region of Mondego and the conquest
of Coimbra, the crown decided to protect these new territories from
foreign attacks. The king then decided to promote the settle of several
communities in strategic places to defend the frontiers of the country.
That's how Guarda was created.
Like other medieval Portuguese cities Guarda still has visible traces
of it's creation. If you visit this city you can still found there several
evidences of the medieval influence like pieces of the original wall,
churches or even the Judiaria da Guarda which is like a mirror of the
medieval past of the city.
In 1260 there were already several churches inside the walls which
exist even today. If you go to the city you can still visit the churches
of S. Vicente, Santa Maria Madalena and S.Tiago which are live testimonies
of the past.
From the castle of the city you can still see other medieval fortifications
as Castro do Jarmelo, Celourico da Beira, Trancoso, among many others.
Right in the middle of the city we can find the Sé Catedral,
one of the oldest and one of the most important churches of Guarda,
built between 1930 and 1540. This magnificent cathedral is located in
Praça Luís de Camões also called Praca Velha. This
area is since the XII century considered the heart of the city.
But we can also find several other important touristic attractions
which lead us through a voyage into the past. Located in the old seminary
of the city we can visit the Guarda Museum. There we can find several
rooms each one dedicated to an important epoch in the past, like the
Pré- Historic, Romanization, Middle Ages or Renaissance. There
we can also visit the weapons room or several temporary exhibitions
about ethnography, painting or workmanship.
One other interesting point worth of a visit is Torre dos Ferreiros
where we can find a piece of a XIII century wall. We can also visit
the Torre de Menagem, the last relinquish of the city castle, from where
we can enjoy a magnificent view of the city, of the mountains and of
the entire valley.
We can't also forget to refer one other important and beautiful church
of the city called the church of S. Vicente. This church is a baroque
temple, from the XIII century, with beautiful panels made of glazed
tiles that show the visitors the life of Jesus.
Guarda is a typical Portuguese town were we can find a healthy mixture
between past and present which is worthy to know.
