Foz () is a town and municipality in the A Mariña Central comarca in the Galician province of Lugo. It has been historically linked to the Ancient Province of Mondoñedo and also linked to the arrival of Briton immigrants during the Dark Ages (5th and 6th centuries) fleeing by sea from the British Isles (see Bishop Maeloc, Britonia and San Martiño de Mondoñedo). It has 9800 inhabitants. It borders the coastal municipalities of Burela and Barreiros, and the inland municipalities of Lourenzá,

Mondoñedo Mondoñedo () is a small town and municipality in the Galician province of Lugo, Spain. , the town has a population of 4,508. Mondoñedo occupies a sheltered valley among the northern outliers of the Cantabrian Mountains. Despite being the core ...

O Valadouro O Valadouro is a municipality in the Galician province of Lugo. O Valadouro belongs to the region of A Mariña Central. Its capital is the town of Ferreira. In 2011, it had 2,180 inhabitants according to the INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: ...

, Alfoz, and Cervo. Foz is a coastal town on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea at the mouth of the river Masma, which forms the Foz estuary, with an approximate area of 100 km². Although Foz was previously a fishing village, most of its economic resources now come from tourism.

Etymology

The name Foz comes from the Latin word ''faux''Entrada en el DRAE
/ref> which graphically describes the river mouth of the Masma river; Foz is the Galician term for base level.

History

The foundation of Foz dates back to pre-Roman times, as attested by the existing forts Fazouro and Pena do Altar. Its foundation may originate in the time of the Ártabros or, according to the historian Amor Meilán, a factory may have been established by the

Tartessos Tartessos ( es, Tarteso) is, as defined by archaeological discoveries, a historical civilization settled in the region of Southern Spain characterized by its mixture of local Paleohispanic and Phoenician traits. It had a proper writing system ...

. During the ninth century the town had flourished since the establishment of the episcopal headquarters in San Martiño de Mondoñedo. At the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, Foz kept certain privileges and exemptions as a result of its commercial importance. During the sixteenth and seventeenth Foz had a major port and one of the three most important shipyards in Galicia. Shipowners and fishermen engaged mainly in whaling. This important fishery has declined over time, but today there is still an important seafaring tradition. The main monuments of Foz are the Basilica de San Martiño and the Manor of the Counts of Fontao

Port of Foz

* ''Fishing port'' * ''Sport port''

Sister city

This is the official sister city of Foz: *

Trégastel Trégastel (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of the region of Brittany in northwestern France. Trégastel is situated between Perros-Guirec and Pleumeur-Bodou. Lannion is 10 kilometres away. Population Inhabitants of Trégas ...

, France, since 2003

References

{{Authority control Municipalities in the Province of Lugo Port cities and towns on the Spanish Atlantic coast