Cantanhede (), officially the City of Cantanhede (), is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

in the

Coimbra District Coimbra District (, or ) is located in the Centro Region, Portugal. The district capital is the city of Coimbra. Municipalities The district is composed by 17 municipalities: * Arganil * Cantanhede * Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), of ...

, in the

Centro Region, Portugal The Central Region (, ) or Central Portugal is one of the NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Portugal, Aveiro, Viseu, Leiria, Ca ...

. The population in 2011 was 36,595, in an area of 390.88 km².

Location

Cantanhede is located in the

, in the Baixo Mondego subregion of the Centro Region, halfway between the cities of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

and Aveiro, in Portugal. This small town is located just 25 km from the very popular beaches of Mira and Tocha on the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

coast.

History

The name "Cantanhede" comes from the Celtic ''cant'', which means "great stone", and refers to the quarries in the region. It was the original ''Cantonieti'', mentioned in the documentation of the centuries 11th, 12th and 13th also with the spellings ''Cantoniedi'', ''Cantonidi'' and ''Cantonetu''. Its first historical references dating back to 1087, date on which Sisnando Davides, governor of Coimbra, provided the village with fortification and promoted its repopulation. With a well-preserved urban area elevated to city (''cidade'') status by the ''Lei n.º 69/91, de 16 de Agosto'' in August 1991, and being home to a number of large and elegant houses, dating back to the 19th century, Cantanhede was granted foral in 1514 by the king

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), 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 monarch. Manu ...

.O concelho de Cantanhede
, Freguesia de Covões In 2024, the limestone of Ançã was recognised as a World Heritage Stone.

Economy

Traditionally a major agriculture center, Cantanhede is at the heart of the Bairrada DOC which produces famed wines. The town is home to Biocant Park, a biotechnology park. This park is attracting biosciences companies to Cantanhede, and has the scientific background of the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...

and Aveiro University, both associated entities of the project. Cantanhede was growing fast, and the inauguration of the C.C. Rossio (local shopping center) helped to boost the area's economy. EXPOFACIC - Feira Agrícola, Comercial e Industrial de Cantanhede, a

trade fair A trade show, also known as trade fair, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific Industry (economics), industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest Product (business), products and se ...

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

and festival, is a major event in the region and is organized every year in July, attracting thousands of visitors to Cantanhede.

Parishes

The municipality is subdivided into the following parishes: * Ançã * Cadima * Cantanhede e Pocariça * Cordinhã * Covões e Camarneira * Febres * Murtede * Ourentã * Portunhos e Outil * São Caetano * Sanguinheira * Sepins e Bolho * Tocha * Vilamar e Corticeiro de Cima

Famous people

* Pedro Teixeira (born in Cantanhede, unknown date - died 1640), a Portuguese explorer commissioned by the Portuguese governor of Maranhão, in current-day Brazil, to explore the Amazon in 1637. * António Luís de Meneses (1596 - 1675 in Cantanhede) third Count of Cantanhede and a notable Portuguese general. * João Crisóstomo de Amorim Pessoa (1810 in Cantanhede - 1888) Bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde and archbishop of Goa and

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

. * António Fragoso (1897 in Cantanhede - 1918 in Cantanhede), Portuguese composer and pianist. * José de Carvalho Rodrigues Pereira (1929 in Cantanhede - 1984) an eminent lawyer for Petrogal. * Lurdes Breu (born 1940 in Cantanhede), one of the first five women to be elected as a mayor of a Portuguese municipality. * Dina Matos (born 1966 in Cantanhede) former first lady of the American state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. * Luís Filipe (born 1979 in Cantanhede), a footballer with 280 club caps. * Carlitos (born 1981 in Cantanhede) retired footballer with 383 club caps. * Nuno Dias (born 1972 in Cantanhede) futsal coach

References

External links

European People's Festival 2009.07.24 -> 08.01.Cantanhede MunicipalityPhotos from Cantanhede
{{Authority control Municipalities of Coimbra District