Castelo Branco () is an inland city and municipality in Central

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

. It has 34,471 inhabitants in its urban area (2021) and is the seat of the district of the same name. The municipality, with 52,291 inhabitants, is made up of 19

freguesias ''Freguesia'' (), usually translated as " parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former ...

(civil parishes) spread through , making it the 3rd largest in Portugal by total land area. The municipality is bounded in the north by Fundão, in the east by Idanha-a-Nova, in the south by Spain, in the southwest by

Vila Velha de Ródão Vila Velha de Ródão () is a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,521,Proença-a-Nova and Oleiros.

History

Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman

castrum In the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, the Latin word ''castrum'', plural ''castra'', was a military-related term. In Latin usage, the singular form ''castrum'' meant 'fort', while the plural form ''castra'' meant 'camp'. The singular and ...

or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca, on the summit of the hill of Colina da Cardosa. The population grew on the slopes of this hill. Little is known of the history before 1182. There is, nevertheless, a document, from this date, mentioning the donation to the Templars of a piece of land called Vila Franca da Cardosa, by a noble Fernandes Sanches. In 1213 it received its autonomy or foral and the name Castel-Branco appears for the first time.

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 ...

confirmed this in 1215 giving it the name of Castelo Branco. It was around this time that the

Templar Knights The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ( la, Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar, or simply the Templars, was a Catholic military order, o ...

built the walls and the castle. In 1510 a new foral was conceded by Manuel I and in 1642 the town acquired the status of Vila de Castelo Branco. In 1771 Castelo Branco became a city and a bishopric (see below) until 1881. Castelo Branco April 2015-1a

In 1858 a telegraph line was opened between Abrantes and Castelo Branco and in 1860 the city received its first public lighting. In 1959 it became capital of the district of the same name.

Ecclesiastical History

Pope Clement XIV created the diocese of Castelo Branco on 1771.06.07. On 1881.09.30 it was suppressed and its territory merged into the then Diocese of Portalegre, which adopted its title, becoming the present Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco, and made the former Cathedral of Castelo Branco, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, its Co-cathedral. It has had the following residential Bishops : * José de Jesus Maria Caetano,

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of C ...

(O.P.) (1771 – death 1782.07.13) * Vicente Ferreira da Rocha, O.P. (1782.12.16 – death 1814.08.25) * Bishop-elect Patrício da Silva, Augustinian Order (O.E.S.A.) (1818 – 1819.05.03), later Metropolitan Archbishop of Évora (Portugal) ( 819.05.031820.02.21 – 1826.03.13), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal ( la, Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae cardinalis, literally 'cardinal of the Holy Roman Church') is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. Cardinals are created by the ruling pope and typically hold the title for life. Col ...

with no Title assigned (1824.09.27 – 1840.01.03), promoted Patriarch of Lisboa (Portugal) (1826.03.13 – death 1840.01.03) * Joaquim José de Miranda Coutinho (1819.05.03 – death 1831.04.06) * Guilherme Henriques de Carvalho (1846 – death 1857.11.15), also

Apostolic Administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Portalegre (Portugal) (1846 – 1857.11.15), created

of S. Maria sopra Minerva (1854.11.30 – 1857.11.15); previously Bishop of

Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own distr ...

(Portugal) ( 8401843.04.03 – 1845.11.24), Patriarch of Lisboa (Portugal) (1845.11.24 – 1857.11.15) * ?vacancy.

Places of interest

The most important monument in Castelo Branco is the Jardim do Paço Episcopal (Garden of the Episcopal Palace). It is one of the most beautiful baroque gardens in Portugal and contains statues of allegories, kings and zodiacal signs, arranged around ponds, terraces and staircases. File:Nt-se-castelobranco.jpg, Co-cathedral St.Michael File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 04.jpg, City's Park File:Jardim_do_Paço Episcopal.jpg, City's Garden File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 02.jpg, Museum "Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior"

Civil Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 19 civil parishes (''

''): * Alcains * Almaceda * Benquerenças * * Cebolais de Cima e Retaxo * * * Freixial do Campo e Juncal do Campo * Lardosa * Louriçal do Campo * Malpica do Tejo * Monforte da Beira * Ninho do Açor e Sobral do Campo * Póvoa de Rio de Moinhos e Cafede * Salgueiro do Campo * Santo André das Tojeiras * São Vicente da Beira * Sarzedas * Tinalhas

Climate

Castelo Branco has a hot-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

. Its summers are among the hottest of Portugal, influenced by its inland position. Winters are mild with cool nights, but frosts are rare and never severe. Inland areas further south in the country have hotter temperature extremes, although averages are very similar. There is somewhat of a seasonal lag in summer since September is significantly warmer than May in spite of less daylight. Winter temperatures are more consistent with the daylight cycle, since temperatures drop sharply in autumn months.

Economy

The city is home to ''Centauro'', a company which produces industrial coolers, refrigerators and freezers. The Portuguese subsidiary of Danone has a factory in Castelo Branco which produces Danone's dairy products for the entire

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

. The district of Castelo Branco is also famed for the Castelo Branco cheese. Delphi Packard is a major factory and the principal employer, with more than 1000 workers. The Factory makes automobile component for the most important automobile constructors like Ferrari. Shopping malls in Castelo Branco (Alegro and Fórum) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 08.jpg, Alegro shopping mall (South view) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 11.jpg, Fórum shopping mall in Castelo Branco (East view) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 14.jpg, Fórum shopping mall in Castelo Branco city (North inside view)

Education

Castelo Branco is home to the Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, a state-run

polytechnic Polytechnic is most commonly used to refer to schools, colleges, or universities that qualify as an institute of technology or vocational university also sometimes called universities of applied sciences. Polytechnic may also refer to: Educat ...

institute of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

, comprising schools of agriculture, technology, management, education, art and health.

Transportation

Railways: Castelo Branco is the principal station located some up the Beira Baixa Railway Line from Entroncamento to Guarda. It runs via Abrantes, Rodão, Castelo Branco and Fundão with services currently terminating at Covilhã some short of Guarda. Rail services are operated by ''CP -

Comboios de Portugal CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (''CP''; English: ''Trains of Portugal'') is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Before June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: ''Portuguese Railways'') ...

'' (Portuguese Trains) and consist of three stopping trains (Regionais) and three fast trains (Intercidades) per day from Lisbon via Entroncamento. The fast trains take less than 3hours to reach Castelo Branco from Lisbon Santa Apolonia and Lisbon Oriente main stations. Stopping trains are considerably slower. From Entroncamento, the route branches off the Lisbon to Porto main line onto the Beira Baixa line following the mighty Tagus river crossing it twice on impressively long bridges. From Abrantes a series of reservoirs come into view. For lengthy stretches the single track clings to the NW flanks of the reservoirs providing exhilarating forested views as you speed along the waterside. The services are operated by comfortable and purposeful 'Iberian Gauge' (5ft6in) 25 kV electric multiple units. After passing through some deep gorges into Rodao station the line then heads north away from the river and on to Castelo Branco and finally Covilhã. From Covilhã northwards to Guarda trains were operated by more leisurely diesel motorcars. This scenic stretch of mountainous rural line provides the strategic last leg of the Beira Baixa Railway linking it to Guarda via Belmonte. However, in recent years it has been closed for modernisation and electrification. The partially completed works, originally due for completion in 2011, are sadly still on hold due to serious funding issues associated with the economy. This inconveniently cuts off otherwise direct rail options from Castelo Branco to destinations north of Covilhã.

Notable people

Amatus Lusitanus João Rodrigues de Castelo Branco, better known as Amato Lusitano and Amatus Lusitanus (1511–1568), was a notable Portuguese Jewish physician of the 16th century. He is sometimes is said to have discovered the valves in the vena azygos. L ...

(1511–1568) a physician, an early discoverer of the circulation of the blood *

Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco Francisco Caldeira e Castelo Branco (1566–1619) was a Portuguese Captain-major, founder of the city of Belém, capital of Pará (Brazil), on 12 January 1616. Biography He was born in the Portuguese town of Castelo Branco, in 1566. Was Capt ...

(1566–1619) a Captain-major, founded

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in ...

, capital of Pará in Brazil in 1616. *

Elijah Montalto Elijah Montalto (1567 – 1616) was a Marrano physician and polemicist from Paris, who became the personal physician of Maria de Medici. He had been reared as a Christian in Portugal and openly returned to Judaism on settling in Venice. His ''Suit ...

(1567-1616) Jewish physician at the French royal court, author of works on vision and brain diseases *

Manuel Dias the Younger Manuel Dias the Younger (1574– 4 March 1659). was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary. Name Manuel Dias the Younger ( la, Junior) acquired his epithet to distinguish him from Manuel Dias the Elder (–1639). He is also known as Emanuel or Emman ...

(1574–1659) a Jesuit missionary to China where he introduced the

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to obse ...

* José Ramos Preto (1871–1949) a Portuguese jurist and politician, held high office in 1920 *

José Hipólito Raposo José Hipólito Raposo (13 February 1885 – 26 August 1953) was a Portuguese politician, writer, lawyer and historian born in São Vicente da Beira. Integralism He was educated at the University of Coimbra before taking up practice as a ...

(1885–1953) politician, writer, lawyer and historian; co-founded '' Integralismo Lusitano''
Dr. José Lopes Dias
(1900-1976) physician, writer, historian and philanthropist, founder o
ESALD
an

* Eugénia Lima, (Wiki PT) (1926—2014) a famous Portuguese accordionist * António Baltasar Marcelino (1930–2013) Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aveiro. *

Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez (19322008) was a Portuguese communist activist who opposed the authoritarian '' Estado Novo'' regime in Portugal. Early life Maria Adelaide Dias Coelho was born in Castelo Branco, Portugal on 27 March 1932. She was t ...

(1932–2008) a PCP activist who opposed the '' Estado Novo'' regime * António Ramalho Eanes (born 1935) general and politician, 16th President of Portugal, 1976-1986. *João Filipe Fazendas Vaz (born ca.1960) sports journalist well known in Spain for his analysis and knowledge of football Lusophone. * Norton (formed 2002) and indie, pop, alternative rock band

Sport

* Nuno Rolão (born 1976) a retired footballer with 459 club caps *

Ana Hormigo Ana Cristina Teles Meneses Hormigo (born 13 April 1981) is a Portuguese judoka, who played for the extra-lightweight category. She won a bronze medal for her division at the 2008 European Judo Championships, and eventually defeated Italy's Valen ...

(born 1981) an extra-lightweight judoka, competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics * Dani Matos (born 1983) a footballer with over 300 club caps. * João Afonso (born 1990) a footballer with over 320 club caps

References

Sources and external links

Municipality official website

Photos from Castelo Branco

* ttp://arquivo.pt/wayback/20070926223313/http%3A//www.anmp.pt/munp/mun/mun101w3.php?cod%3DM6000/ Statistical Information about the Municipality
Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco

{{authority control Cities in Portugal Populated places in Castelo Branco District Municipalities of Castelo Branco District