Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. 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 district and the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. The city is part of the historical

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

of Beira Litoral.

History

The region around Leiria has long been inhabited although its early history is obscure. The first evident inhabitants were the

Turduli Oppidani The Turduli Oppidani or Turdulorum Oppida (Latin: "oppidums of the Turduli" or "Strongholds of the Turduli"), were a pre-Roman La Tène culture coastal people in present-day Portugal, related to the Turduli Veteres and akin to the Lusitanians. Loc ...

, a

Celtici ] The Celtici (in Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish, and Galician languages, ) were a Celtic tribe or group of tribes of the Iberian peninsula, inhabiting three definite areas: in what today are the regions of Alentejo and the Algarve i ...

tribe (akin to the

Lusitanians The Lusitanians ( la, Lusitani) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people living in the west of the Iberian Peninsula prior to its conquest by the Roman Republic and the subsequent incorporation of the territory into the Roma ...

), who established a settlement near (around 7 km) present-day Leiria. This settlement was later occupied by the

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, who expanded it under the original Celtiberian name ''Collippo''. The stones of the ancient Roman town were used in the Middle Ages to build much of Leiria. LEIRIA E CASTELO

The name "Leiria" in Portuguese derives from 'leira' (from the medieval

Galician-Portuguese Galician-Portuguese ( gl, galego-portugués or ', pt, galego-português or ), also known as Old Portuguese or as Medieval Galician when referring to the history of each modern language, was a West Iberian languages, West Iberian Romance languag ...

form 'laria', from

proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly Linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed through the compar ...

*ɸlār-yo-, 'high<->ground'/'yon<->floor' akin to

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

'floor(ing)',

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic ( sga, Goídelc, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ga, Sean-Ghaeilge; gd, Seann-Ghàidhlig; gv, Shenn Yernish or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive writt ...

'làr' 'ground, floor',

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

'leur' 'ground',

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

'llawr' 'floor') meaning an area with small farming plots. It was occupied by the

Suebi The Suebi (or Suebians, also spelled Suevi, Suavi) were a large group of Germanic peoples originally from the Elbe river region in what is now Germany and the Czech Republic. In the early Roman era they included many peoples with their own names ...

in 414 until they were forced by the Romans to retreat to Galicia and later incorporated by Leovigild into the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

kingdom in 585 A.D. Later the

Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

occupied the area until it was re-captured by the first King of Portugal,

Afonso Henriques Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

in 1135, during the

Reconquista The ' (Spanish, Portuguese and Galician for "reconquest") is a historiographical construction describing the 781-year period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula between the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in 711 and the fall of the Nasrid ...

. South of Leiria in that period was the so-called "no-man's land", until regions further south (like Santarém and

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

) were permanently taken and re-populated by the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. In 1142 Afonso Henriques gave Leiria its first ''

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The word ''foral'' ({{IPA-pt, fuˈɾaɫ, eu, plural: ''forais'') is a noun derived from the Portuguese word ''foro'', ultimately from Latin ''forum'', equivalent to Spanish ''fuero'', Galician ''foro'', Ca ...

'' (compilation of feudal rights) to stimulate the colonisation of the region. LeiriaSquare

Both

Afonso I of Portugal Afonso I of PortugalOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French inf ...

and Sancho I rebuilt the walls and the

Leiria Castle The Castle of Leiria ( pt, Castelo de Leiria) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes, municipality of Leiria, district of Leiria. History The castle of Leiria was built by D. Afonso Henriques for the pu ...

to avoid new enemy incursions. Most of the population lived inside the protective city walls, but already in the 12th century part of the population lived outside the walls. The oldest church of Leiria, the Church of Saint Peter (''Igreja de São Pedro''), built in romanesque style in the last quarter of the 12th century, served the parish located outside the walls. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

the importance of the village increased, and it was the setting of several ''

cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of N ...

'' (feudal parliaments). The first of the ''cortes'' held in Leiria took place in 1245, under King Afonso II. In the early 14th century, the king restored the

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

tower of the

citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

of the castle, as can be seen in an inscription in the tower. He also built a royal residence in Leiria (now lost), and lived for long periods in the town, which he donated as feud to his wife,

Elizabeth of Portugal Elizabeth of Aragon, more commonly known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. (1271 – 4 July 1336; ''Elisabet'' in Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish), was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Or ...

(Rainha Isabel). The king also ordered the plantation of the famous Pine Forest of Leiria (''Pinhal de Leiria'') near the coast. Later, the wood from this forest would be used to build the ships used in the Portuguese Navigations of the 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 14th century, King John I built a royal palace within the walls of the

castle of Leiria The Castle of Leiria ( pt, Castelo de Leiria) is a medieval castle in the civil parish of Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes, municipality of Leiria, district of Leiria. History The castle of Leiria was built by D. Afonso Henriques for the pu ...

. This palace, with elegant

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

galleries that offered wonderful views of the town and surrounding landscape, was totally in ruins but was partially rebuilt in the 20th century. John I also sponsored the rebuilding in late gothic style of the old Church of Our Lady of the Rock (''Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Pedra''), located inside the castle. CASTELO DE LEIRIA

Towards the end of the 15th century the town continued to grow, occupying the area from the castle hill down to the river Lis.

King Manuel I Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate ( pt, O Venturoso), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as ...

gave it a new

in 1510, and, in 1545, it was elevated to the category of city and became see of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

. The Cathedral of Leiria was built in the second half of the 16th century in a mix of late

manueline The Manueline ( pt, estilo manuelino, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manuel ...

and

mannerist Mannerism, which may also be known as Late Renaissance, is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, ...

styles. Compared to the Middle Ages, the subsequent history of Leiria is of relative decay. The city was stormed by the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

, namely in the French Invasions of 1808 (the killing of Portela, by the troops of Gen. Margaron) and the Great Fire of 1811, caused by the

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

troops retreating from the

Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, ...

. In the 20th century, however, its strategic position in the Portuguese territory favoured the development of a diversified

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

Geography

Rio Lis - Leiria - Portugal (51634968415)

Leiria is located in western

Central Portugal The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco ...

. The municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest,

Marinha Grande Marinha Grande () is a municipality in the Leiria District, Portugal. The population in 2021 was 39,032, in an area of 187.25 km². The city itself has a population of 32,330. It is located right in the middle of the 700-year-old Leiria pine ...

to the west, Alcobaça to the southwest, Batalha to the south,

Ourém Ourém (), formerly known as Vila Nova de Ourém, is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 45,932, in an area of 416.68 km2. The municipality of Ourém contains two cities: Ourém (about 12,000 r ...

to the southeast, and Pombal to the north and northeast. The city is located about halfway between

and

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

. The distance to Lisbon is , to

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...

and to

. The historic city centre spreads between the castle hill and the river Lis. Leiria is also the seat of its own sub-region,

Região de Leiria The Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Leiria () is an administrative division in western Portugal. It was created in 2014, replacing the former ''Associação de Municípios da Região de Leiria'' created in 2009. Since January 2015, Região ...

, which includes the cities of

, Pombal as well the municipalities/town seats of Batalha, Alcobaça and

Porto de Mós Porto de Mós () is a town and a municipality of Estremadura province in Leiria District. It is in the Centro Region and the Pinhal Litoral subregion. The population in 2011 was 24,342, in an area of 261.83 km². There were archeologic find ...

located nearby.

Climate

The city of Leiria has a

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 ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Csb'') with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Its location near the Atlantic coast keeps temperature variation relatively minimal. The average annual temperature is around , varying between in January, to in August. Winters are mild and wet. On average, around 50% of the days receive some form of precipitation in this season. Average temperatures range between during the day and at night and can go below freezing (< ) on colder days, favoring the onset of

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

or ice. Springs are pleasant, but usually rainy during the month of April. This season, though wet, is slightly dryer than winter, with the majority of days receiving no precipitation. Average temperatures range between at day and at night. Summers bring high temperatures and sunshine. Precipitation, when present, mostly occurs in the form of

drizzle Drizzle is a light precipitation consisting of liquid water drops smaller than those of rain – generally smaller than in diameter. Drizzle is normally produced by low stratiform clouds and stratocumulus clouds. Precipitation rates from dri ...

, and accounts for only around 20% of days between June and September. Sunshine hours reach their maximum in August (which is sunny 70% of the time). Average temperatures range between at day and at night, the maximum can reach on the hottest days. Autumn, although mild, is the rainiest season of the year. Average temperatures range between and . Snowfalls in the city of Leiria typically occur once every 20 to 30 years. The last time it snowed in Leiria was on the 29th of 2006's January in a clammy Sunday between 10 and 12 am, during which the temperature peaked at . The highest temperature recorded in Leiria was on 4 August 2018.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 18 civil parishes (''

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 Port ...

''): * Amor * Arrabal *

Bajouca Bajouca is a village and a civil parish of the municipality 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 ...

* Bidoeira de Cima * Caranguejeira * Coimbrão * Colmeias e Memória * Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes * Maceira * Marrazes e Barosa * Milagres *

Monte Real e Carvide Monte Real e Carvide is a civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or th ...

* Monte Redondo e Carreira * Parceiros e Azoia * Regueira de Pontes * Santa Catarina da Serra e Chainça * Santa Eufémia e Boa Vista * Souto da Carpalhosa e Ortigosa

Demographics

Culture

In addition to being a site of historical interest, the castle of Leiria provides a venue for cultural events. Nearby is the Church of Saint Peter (''Igreja de São Pedro''), the site of the city's annual music festival. Leiria is home to the ''Museu da imagem em movimento'' (Museum of the Moving Image) as well as Portugal's restored first paper mill, ''Moinho do Papel'' (The Paper Mill), the Theatre Miguel Franco in the ''Mercado de Sant'Ana'' (Saint Anne's Market) and the Theatre José Lúcio da Silva are venues for theatrical, musical, cinematic and dance performances. Today the central square, ''Praça Francisco Rodrigues Lobo'', named after the Portuguese poet

Francisco Rodrigues Lobo Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (1580 – 4 November 1622), sometimes called the ''Portuguese Theocritus,'' was a Portuguese poet and bucolic writer. He was born of rich and noble New Christian parents in Leiria, reading philosophy, poetry and writing of ...

, is home to a thriving café culture, regularly used for cultural events. The city was the principal residence of the Portuguese king, Denis, who wrote

lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. It is not equivalent to song lyrics, though song lyrics are often in the lyric mode, and it is also ''not'' equi ...

in the

troubadour A troubadour (, ; oc, trobador ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a ''trobairit ...

tradition, and briefly the home of the modern realist writer

Eça de Queiroz José Maria de Eça de Queiroz (; 25 November 1845 – 16 August 1900) is generally considered to have been the greatest Portuguese writer in the realist style. Zola considered him to be far greater than Flaubert. In the London ''Observer'', Jo ...

, whose first novel,

O Crime do Padre Amaro ''O Crime do Padre Amaro'' ("The Crime of Father Amaro"), subtitled 'Scenes of Religious Life', is a novel by the 19th-century Portuguese writer José Maria de Eça de Queiroz. It was first published in 1875 to great controversy. Background E� ...

("Father Amaro's Sin"), published in 1875, is set in the city. In October 2012, Leiria opened the city's "Centro Cívico", a modern architecture building, designed to have social impact on the community. This building has the life of

as a theme. In here, there's senior classes and ''Associação Fazer Avançar'' runs SPEAK, with support from EDP and

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation ( pt, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One o ...

, among others. The city has several cultural entities like Leiria's Public Library Afonso Lopes Vieira, Arquivo, Ateneu, Leirena and O Nariz (theatre groups), Associação Fazer Avançar, FADE IN, Metamorfose, ECO and many others which make Leiria a culturally vibrant city, offering the busiest calendars of events. In recent years, Leiria has seen much redevelopment on the banks of the

Lis River Lis (Portuguese: ''Rio Lis''; ) is a river in central Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europ ...

, with the creation of several new parks, public spaces, children's play areas, skateboard parks and a series of themed bridges. A long riverside promenade was built which is popular with walkers and joggers. Since 2010, Associação FADE IN organizes ENTREMURALHAS, one of the most important gothic festivals in the world (

List of gothic festivals The following is an incomplete list of gothic festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on gothic music. Goth festivals may feature genres such as gothic rock and gothic metal, as well as industrial music. The festivals also tend ...

Gastronomy

Leiria's gastronomy offers a good variety of Portuguese dishes including fresh fish dishes and the famous "Leitão" da Boavista (barbecued piglet/

suckling pig A suckling pig is a piglet fed on its mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a " suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is traditionally cooked whole, often roasted, in ...

). The nearby village of Cortes is known for "

Migas Migas () ("crumbs" in English) is a dish traditionally made from stale bread and other ingredients in Spanish and Portuguese cuisines. Originally introduced by shepherds, migas are very popular across the Iberian Peninsula, and are the typical br ...

", a dish of corn bread with spinach, garlic and olive oil which is eaten as an accompaniment to fish or meat. Typical Dishes: Morcela de Arroz; Lentriscas; Bacalhoada com migas; Bacalhau com feijão frade; Ossinhos; Fritada; Cabrito;

Feijoada ''Feijoada'' () is a stew of beans with beef and pork. The name ''feijoada'' comes from ''feijão'', 'bean' in Portuguese. It is widely prepared in the Portuguese-speaking world, with slight variations. The basic ingredients of feijoada are bean ...

; Leitão; Chanfana; Fritada dos peixinhos; Bacalhau com Chícharos. Traditional sweet pastry: Brisas do Lis; Lampreia de Ovos; Ovos Folhados; Bolinhos de Pinhão; Tarte de Chícharos (Alvaiázere); Canudos de Leiria; Doce de amêndoa; Broas Doces de Batata; Merendeiras dos Santos; Filhós de abóbora. Wines of the region: Caves Vidigal, S.A./ Vale da Mata, Cortes / Quinta da Serrinha (Vin Bio), Barreira / Santos & Santos, Torres Vedras / Quinta da Sapeira, Serra d'Aire / Paço Côrtes, Lda. IGP Lisboa, Sub-região Alta Estremadura. These wines are labeled D.O.C. ( Denominação de Origem Controlada) which secures a superior quality. Also parte of the Portuguese wine region Encostas de Aire (DOC).

Panoramic view

Economy

Leiria has an economy concentrated on services and light industries. It has several industries related with plastics and moulds, as well as animal food, milling, cement, and civil construction, among other light industries. Agriculture, tourism, and state-run public services, such as education (including the Polytechnical Institute of Leiria), health (the

district hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...

''Hospital de Santo André'') and general public administration, are an important part of Leiria's economy.

Monte Real Air Base Monte Real Air Base, officially designated as Air Force Base No. 5 ( pt, Base Aérea Nº 5, BA5), is a Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) air base located in Monte Real, Leiria, Portugal. Its mission is to guarantee the readiness and deployment of the ...

, a major

Military airbase An air base (sometimes referred to as a military air base, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base) is an aerodrome used as a military base by a military force for the operation ...

of the

Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...

Monte Real Monte Real is a town (''vila'' in Portuguese) and a former civil parish in the municipality of Leiria, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Monte Real e Carvide. It covers an area of 12.23 km² and has a population of 2,7 ...

, where all Portuguese F16 fighter squadrons are stationed, is also notable employer in the region. Castelo de Leiria 8

Transport

Leiria is connected to its suburbs and the rest of Portugal by a motorway network. There are four motorways passing the city; *

A1 - Auto-estrada do Norte The A 1—Autoestrada do Norte—is the biggest and the most important highway in Portugal. It connects the two largest cities in Portugal, Lisbon and Porto, also passing by some district capitals and industrial zones. Being the most important con ...

linking

, passing by Leiria. * A8 linking Leiria to Lisbon. * A17 linking

to Aveiro. * A19, linking Leiria and Batalha, using part of the IC2. There is a railway ''Linha do Oeste'' (west railway line linking Cacém (

Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...

/Lisbon area) to

Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), also known as Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic coast, it is located at the mouth of the Mondego River, west ...

) which serves the central western coast of Portugal. Leiria railway station is a few km from the city centre (about 2 km). The main bus station service is in the city centre. The bus service, called Mobilis, is composed by 9 lines connecting surrounding neighbourhoods and parishes of Leiria with the city centre. This includes two bus loops and a specific line (uMob) that connects the city centre with Campus 1 and 2 of the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria. There is a small

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

(''Aérodromo José Ferrinho''), used for sports and recreation.

Leiria-based newspapers

* Região de Leiria – Weekly * Jornal de Leiria – Weekly * Diário de Leiria – Daily * O Mensageiro – Monthly - closed

Education

Leiria hosts a national public

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: Educatio ...

institution 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 completi ...

, the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria which has 5 campuses, 3 of them located in Leiria. * Campus 1 - School of Education and Social Sciences (ESECS). * Campus 2 - School of Technology and Management (ESTG) and the School Of Health Sciences (ESS) * Campus 5 - Institute for Research, Development and Advanced Studies (INDEA), the Training Centre for the Courses of Technology Specialization (FOR.CET) with around 900 students, the Centre of New Opportunities (CNO), a Transfer Technology and Information Center (OTIC) and an E-Learning Unit (UED). There is also a private institution, o Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração (ISLA). In

Secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...

, Leiria has the following schools, the first two in the center, the last in the outskirts. * Escola Secundária de Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (former Liceu) * Escola Secundária de Domingos Sequeira (former Escola Comercial) * Escola Secundária de Afonso Lopes Vieira, in Gândara dos Olivais, Marrazes. In

Primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

, Leiria has the following schools, teaching from the 5th grade until 9th grade. * Escola D. Dinis * Escola Correia Mateus (with 1st cycle) * Escola José Saraiva * Escola de Marrazes * Colégio Dinis de Melo * Colégio Senhor dos Milagres Besides this there are multiple schools in the Municipality for the 1st cycle, from 1st grade until 4th grade.

Sport

The city of Leiria has its own

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team, the

União Desportiva de Leiria União Desportiva de Leiria, commonly known as União de Leiria (), is a Portuguese football club based in Leiria, central Portugal. Founded on 6 June 1966, it currently plays in the Campeonato de Portugal, holding home matches at Estádio Dr. ...

, commonly called just União de Leiria. It currently plays at the third level of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

football, in Liga 3, but recently spent 16 seasons in the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (; English: Premier League, also written as Liga Portugal 1), also known as Liga Portugal Bwin for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga Portugal, ...

. An important facility is the '' Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa'', situated close to Leiria castle. The modern stadium has a capacity for 23,000 people and was built for the

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

. Efforts were made to sell it, as its debt (nearly €50M) overburdens the city finances, União de Leiria rents the stadium, but played the 2011-12 season in

Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande is a football stadium in Marinha Grande, Portugal. It hosts football matches for Atlético Clube Marinhense and hosted the home matches of U.D. Leiria in 2002-03 when Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa was bei ...

due to a rent dispute. The

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

football in Leiria is managed by the

Leiria Football Association The Leiria Football Association ( pt, Associação de Futebol de Leiria) is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation. The AF Leiria administers lower-tier football in the district of ...

, overseeing the regional leagues. Regarding other sports, Leiria has a notable women's handball team,

Juve Lis Juventude Desportiva do Lis, better known as Juve Lis, is a Portuguese handball from Leiria established in 1985. It is best known for its women's team, which made its international debut in 2003, in the Cup Winners' Cup. It subsequently made fi ...

, which plays in the Women's Handball League, and also participated in EHF competitions. Since 2013 Leiria has had a chess academy (Academia de Xadrez) offered as an activity for young people by the Corvos do Lis. Enrolled students have won titles in National Competitions: second place by teams under 12 years old in 2014 and 2015 and a National Champion, (Blitz, 2013, Under 8) and (Super Rapid play, 2015, under 10). They work with many primary schools in the region teaching chess, considering it a useful complement to developing intellectual skills. Leiria also holds other facilities that can host different sport activities. They are Campo Futebol Aldeia do Desporto, Centro Nacional de Lançamentos, Pavilhão Gimnodesportivo dos Pousos (and adjacent Campo da Charneca), and Pavilhão do Lis. The latter was recognized by the Portuguese Paralympic Committee has the first

paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

inclusive venue of its kind in Portugal. Leiria was chosen as one of the European Cities of Sport in 2022.

International relations

According to the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities, Leiria is twinned with: *

Tokushima is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 728,633 (1 October 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,146 km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture borders Kagawa Prefecture to the north, E ...

, Japan (since 1969) *

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

, Portugal (since 1982) *

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a commune in Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southea ...

, France (since 1982) *

Maringá Maringá () is a municipality in southern Brazil founded on 10 May 1947 as a planned urban area. It is the third largest city in the state of Paraná, with 385,753 inhabitants in the city proper, and 764,906 in the metropolitan area (IBGE 2013). ...

, Brazil (since 1982) *

Olivenza Olivenza () or Olivença () is a town in southwestern Spain, near the Portuguese border, on a historically disputed section of the Portugal–Spain border. Its territory is administered by Spain as a municipality belonging to the province of Bad ...

, Spain (since 1984) * Olavarría, Argentina (since 1992) * São Filipe, Cape Verde (since 1994) *

Rheine Rheine () is a city in the district of Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base. Geography Rheine is on the river Ems, approx. north of Münster, approx. west of Osnabrück a ...

, Germany (since 1996) * Halton, United Kingdom (since 1997) *

Tongling Tongling (; former names: Tunglinghsien, Tungkwanshan) is a prefecture-level city in southern Anhui province. A river port along the Yangtze River, Tongling borders Wuhu to the east, Chizhou to the southwest and Anqing to the west. As of the 2 ...

, China (since 1999) *

Nampula Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, approxi ...

, Mozambique (since 2002) *

Quint-Fonsegrives Quint-Fonsegrives (; oc, Quint e Fontsagrivas) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which ...

, France (since 2010) * Penglai, China (since 2014)

Notable people

Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (Corte na Aldea, 1619)

(1580–1622), the ''Portuguese

Theocritus Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry. Life Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from hi ...

'', a poet and

bucolic A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

writer. * Adriano Sousa Lopes (1879-1944), a Portuguese

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

painter and engraver *

Lino António Lino António da Conceição (26 November 1898 – 23 October 1974) was a Portuguese artist known for his Modernist paintings. He made many friezes, frescos, stained glass and ceramic panels for public buildings and private collections in Portuga ...

(1898–1974), an artist using

frescoes, he made many friezes, frescos, stained glass and ceramic panels for public buildings * Fabricio Soares (1918-1986), a Portuguese

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.), is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the ...

, he researched

Black pod disease Black pod disease is a protozoal disease of Cocoa trees. This pathogen if left untreated can destroy all yields; annually the pathogen can cause a yield loss of up to 1/3 and up to 10% of total trees can be lost completely. With the value of the ...

José Hermano Saraiva José Hermano Saraiva GCIH • GCIP (3 October 1919 – 20 July 2012) was a Portuguese professor, historian and jurist. He was most known as a television personality in Portugal, having been the author and presenter of several documentary ser ...

(1919–2012), a Portuguese professor, historian, jurist and TV personality *

António Campos António Campos (29 May 1922 – 8 March 1999) was one of the pioneer filmmakers of visual anthropology in Portugal. Mainly using pure documentary techniques, he shot ethnographic films and tried docufiction. As well as in fictional films, he u ...

(1922–1999), a pioneer filmmaker of

visual anthropology Visual anthropology is a subfield of social anthropology that is concerned, in part, with the study and production of ethnographic photography, film and, since the mid-1990s, new media. More recently it has been used by historians of science an ...

. *

António Cardoso e Cunha António José Baptista Cardoso e Cunha (28 January 1933 – 24 January 2021) was a Portuguese Social Democratic Party (Portugal), Social Democratic Party (PSD) politician. He was a government minister in the 1970s and 1980s, and then from 1986 to ...

(1933–2021), politician, Govt. minister & first

European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...

. *

António-Pedro Vasconcelos António-Pedro Saraiva de Barros e Vasconcelos GCIH (born 10 March 1939 in Leiria) is a Portuguese film director. Personal life Vasconcelos is the middle of three sons of Guilherme de Barros e Vasconcelos (Celorico de Basto, Britelo, 28 Decembe ...

(born 1939), a Portuguese film director. António-Pedro Vasconcelos, IMDb Database
retrieved 23 July 2021. * Joaquim Justino Carreira (1950−2013), Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarulhos The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarulhos ( la, Dioecesis Guaruliensis) is a diocese located in the city of Guarulhos in the Ecclesiastical province of São Paulo in Brazil. History * 30 January 1981: Established as Diocese of Guarulhos from the D ...

, Brazil. *

José António Vieira da Silva José António da Fonseca Vieira da Silva (born 14 February 1953) is a Portuguese politician and a member of the Socialist Party. He served as Minister of Solidarity, Employment and Social Security from 2015 to 2019 under Prime Minister António ...

(born 1953), a Portuguese politician and Govt. minister, 2015-2019 *

David Fonseca David Fonseca (, born on 14 June 1973, in Leiria) is a Portuguese musician, singer-songwriter and photographer. As a musician, he plays several instruments, including acoustic guitar and organ. He is recognized for his successful music career a ...

(born 1973), a musician, singer-songwriter and photographer. * Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born 1987), known as ''KURA'', an

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aoki ...

music DJ and producer.

Sport

* Rui António da Cruz Ferreira (born 1960), known as ''Nascimento'', a retired footballer with 345 club caps * Vânia Silva (born 1980), a female

hammer thrower The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consists ...

* João Paulo Andrade (born 1981), a Portuguese footballer with over 380 club caps *

Rui Patrício Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício (; born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A team Roma and the Portugal national team. He is often nicknamed "São Patrício" (''Saint Patrício'') for ...

(born 1988), a football goalkeeper with over 430 club caps and 97 for

* Irina Rodrigues (born 1991), a female

discus thrower The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

* João Vieira (born 1991), a Portuguese footballer with over 250 club caps * Ivan Domingues (born 2006), racing driver

References

External links

*
Municipality of Leiria

Mobilis Municipal Bus (in Portuguese)

Portal of Leiria (Business and Social Network)

Photos from Leiria

2009 European Team Championships
{{authority control Populated places in Leiria District Cities in Portugal Municipalities of Leiria District

History

Geography

Climate

Parishes

Demographics

Culture

Gastronomy

Panoramic view

Economy

Transport

Leiria-based newspapers

Education

Sport

International relations

Notable people

Sport

See also

References

External links