Serra da Estrela Natural Park is situated in the largest mountain range in

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 ...

- the

Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela () is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portugal's ...

, and is the source of the rivers Mondego, Zêzere (tributary of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see #Name, below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections ...

), and Alva. The park is the largest natural conservation area in Portugal and occupies about 1,000 km². More than half of its area is located above an altitude of 700 m. At 1,993 m it contains the highest peak in

Continental Portugal Continental Portugal ( pt, Portugal continental, ) or mainland Portugal comprises the bulk of the Portuguese Republic, namely that part on the Iberian Peninsula and so in Continental Europe, having approximately 95% of the total population and ...

(named Torre) and a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

(named

Vodafone Ski Resort Serra da Estrela Ski Resort ( pt, Estância de Esqui da Serra da Estrela) is a ski resort located in a mountain range named Serra da Estrela, in the municipality of Seia, parish (''freguesia'') of Loriga, Portugal. Description This small ski reso ...

). During the Quaternary period, the entre region was subjected to the action of ice and once this disappeared visible marks were left on the landscape. Valleys in the shape of horseshoes, ravines, polished rocks and lakes of glacial origin are just some of the formations that demonstrate the importance of the ice and snow in modelling the mountains.

Geography

The central plateau, dominated by the 7 m ''Torre'' (Tower) and ''Cântaros'', location of the glacial valley of the Zêzere, contrasts with another mountain, the Videmonte plateau, which is still in the initial bed of the Mondego, dotted with isolated farms among fields of rye and pastures where cattle are bred. In the valleys to the south west, decorated by terraces and surrounded by the ''Penha dos Abutres'', are the villages of

Loriga Loriga () is a civil parish ( pt, freguesia) and town in south-central part of the municipality of Seia, in central Portugal. Part of the district of Guarda, it is 20 km away from the city of Seia, 40 km away from Viseu, 80 km aw ...

and Alvoco, which have developed on powerful rocky spurs. Finally, the north west slope stretches from below

Seia Seia () is a municipality in Guarda District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 21,755, in an area of . Its urban population is about 7,000. Seia was elevated to city status on July 3, 1986. The municipality is situated on the northwestern slo ...

to the land dominated by the castle of Linhares and the fields where maize is cultivated and vines are planted up the slopes to where the broom grows.

Fauna

In terms of fauna, the presence of the

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

is a thing of the past and even

wolve The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

s only roam here sporadically. In addition to the wall lizard that is a feature of the region, other species include

otter Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes wea ...

s, genets,

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united b ...

wild cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...

s, water moles, red breasted bullfinches, Algerian wall lizards and

midwife frog Midwife toads are a genus (''Alytes'') of frogs in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae), and are found in most of Europe and northwestern Africa. Characteristic of these toad-like frogs is their parental care; the males carry a string of ...

Flora

The natural vegetation appears in three separate sectors. Under 900 m, in very clearly defined areas. Between 800/900 m and 1600 m is the domain of the black oak. From 1600 m upwards, we find the juniper and the high pastures where the

gentian ''Gentiana'' is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the gentian family (Gentianaceae), the tribe Gentianeae, and the monophyletic subtribe Gentianinae. With about 400 species it is considered a large genus. They are notable for their mostl ...

, a plant in danger of extinction, can be found.

Human occupation

The villages in the Serra da Estrela Natural Park area are mainly at the bottom of the mountains and date back to medieval times. However, before this other cultures left their mark on this area. One of the most notable examples of the

Roman 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 letter ...

presence are the remains at ''Famalicão'' and ''Folgosinho'', of the road that connected Mérida to

Braga Braga ( , ; cel-x-proto, Bracara) is a city and a municipality, capital of the northwestern Portuguese district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality has a resident population of 193,333 inhabitants (in ...

. The route by which it crosses the mountain would certainly have caused difficulties in construction. The

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

influence is seen in the irrigation system and the fruit orchards while the

Visigothic 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 kno ...

culture organized all rural space by applying the ''Visigoth Code''.

Economy

Throughout the Natural Park, a traditional mountain economy is practised, centred on agriculture, shepherding of sheep and goats, particularly domestic sheep and the manufacture of

Serra da Estrela cheese Serra da Estrela cheese (''Queijo Serra da Estrela'') is a cheese made in the mountainous region of Serra da Estrela in Portugal. Under the name "Queijo Serra da Estrela" it is a Protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union as well ...

. The craftsmanship of the region is expressed in basket work using chestnut and wicker, weaving, embroidered cotton and smoked produce.

Gallery

Serra da Estrela-108-Dorf-2011-gje.jpg Cântaro ao amanhacer.jpg Serra da Estrela-140-Ginster-Wolke-2011-gje.jpg Em suspensão!.jpg Serra da Estrela-172-Moose und Flechten-2011-gje.jpg Estradas de neve - A caminho da Torre.jpg Serra da Estrela-204-2011-gje.jpg Inversão térmica na Serra da Estrela.jpg Serra da Estrela-214-Ziegenhirt-2011-gje.jpg Lagoa dos Conchos.jpg Lost in the Woods.jpg Natureza em estado puro.jpg Verão no Covão d'Ametade.jpg Casa abandonada na serra 02.jpg Charles Turner - No.8 The March of the 3rd. Division through the Sierra de Estrella or de Neve, May 16, 1811 - B1978.43.1031 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg

References

External links

Official Site at the (Portuguese) Institute for Nature Conservation
(Portuguese language)
Serra da Estrela Natural Park information from the Cultural Landscapes and Cultural Landscape Ecosystems in Europe cultbase

Serra da Estrela Natural Park Photos
{{Authority control Nature conservation in Portugal Nature parks in Portugal Ramsar sites in Portugal Serra da Estrela Tourist attractions in Guarda District