Peso Da Régua

:''Regua leads here. For American major general, see Eldon Regua''
Peso da Régua (), commonly known as Régua, is a city and municipality in northern Portugal, in the district of Vila Real. The population in 2011 was 17,131Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> (of which approximately 10,000 are in the town of Régua), in an area of  km².

History

Historians have suggested that Peso da Régua was inhabited during the Roman, Suebi and Visigothic periods. There are competing theories over where the toponym "Peso da Régua" could have originated: ''Vila Reggula'', the name of a Roman country estate; ''récua'', a word for livestock, which may have crossed the Douro at this location; or ''reguengo'' a designation for lands that were owned by the crown. Peso da Régua could also have originated from the word ''regra'' (), alluding to the hereditary rights of descendants achieved through forals. This theory is based on the donation of lands by Counts Henrique and Hugo in 1093, which were transferred to Egas Moniz. It is possible that this ''rule'' gave origin to the word ''Régoa'', and later Régua. In regards to the word, ''Peso'' (), there are two hypothesis on its origin: the location being where goods were weighted and taxed; or the place where animals were fed (), ''Penso''

Middle Ages

Peso de Régua received its foral from King Sancho I, who conferred on the locality of Godim the municipal charter.

On 3 February 1837, Peso da Régua was elevated to the status of ''vila'' (), which included the annexed municipality of Godim, the civil parishes of Godim, Loureiro, Fontelas, Moura Morta and Sedielos.

Its important role as municipality only achieved its zenith in 1836, after the Marquess of Pombal designated the Douro wine region, as a quality brand for export. This was helped through the creation of ''Companhia Geral das Vinhas do Alto Douro'', in 1756, which delimited the vineyards of the Douro Valley by granite markers () to regulate the vineyards and wines produced. After this point, through commercialization and centralization, Régoa began to become the centre of the region.

On 31 December 1859, due to the extinction of the municipality of Canelas, the parishes of Poiares, Covelinhas, Vilarinho de Freires and Galafura were added to the municipality.

Republic

On 11 December 1933, the parish of Vinhos was created from the de-annexed region of Sedielos, resulting in a municipality of eleven parishes threaded along the Douro.

Within the integration of Canelas, in 1976, the municipality grew to twelve.

Peso da Régua became a city on 14 August 1985.

In 1988, the ''Office Internacional de la Vigne et du Vin'' recognized the municipality as the ''Cidade Internacional da Vinha e do Vinho'' ().

Geography

Climate

Peso da Régua as a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: ''Csa'') with hot, dry summers and cool to mild, wet winters. The average annual temperature is during the day and at night.

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 8 civil parishes ('' freguesias''):
* Fontelas
* Galafura e Covelinhas
* Loureiro
* Moura Morta e Vinhós
* Peso da Régua e Godim
* Poiares e Canelas
* Sedielos
* Vilarinho dos Freires

Economy

It cannot be expressed how important Port Wine helped to catapult the fortunes of Peso da Régua:

Tourist boats ply the river from this point carrying tourists through the locks of two dams to Régua. The town is also connected to Porto by train; the Douro railway line runs along the banks of the Douro. Until its closure in 2009, the narrow gauge railway of the Corgo line also served the town.

Notable people

* Francisco da Silveira Pinto da Fonseca Teixeira, 1st Count of Amarante (1763–1821) a nobleman and Army officer.
* Antonia Ferreira (1811–1896) a businesswoman who lead the cultivation of port wine.
* João de Lemos (1819–1890) a Portuguese journalist, poet and dramatist.
* José Dias Correia de Carvalho (1830–1911) Portuguese bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde and Viseu.
* Manuel Vieira de Matos (1861–1932) was Bishop of Guarda & Archbishop of Braga.
* Domingos Duarte Lima (born 1955) a lawyer, politician, musician, organist and singer. He faces charges of murder, fraud and money laundering.

References

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External links

Museum of Douro

Photos from Peso da Régua

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peso Da Regua
Municipalities of Vila Real District
Towns in Portugal
Peso da Régua
Freguesias of Peso da Régua