Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro () is a historical province of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

located in the northeastern corner of the country, known for its scenery, which includes plateaux, river valleys, mountains, and castles.

History

A first attempt to register its constitution was made under the reign of King Sancho II (1223–1248). A second was made in the reign of his son and successor, Afonso III (1248–1279), under the Inquirições or royal commissions in 1258, intending to base the territory of Trás-os-Montes on so-called "new towns" under direct control of the Crown. Afonso III gave it its charter in 1253, referring to the town, "a hill opposite the Crespos", which already had a core of settlements organized around the Church of St. Facundo. Since 1833 the region has been divided into two districts on the right (northern) bank of the Douro river —

Vila Real Vila Real () is the capital and largest city of the Vila Real District, in the Norte, Portugal, North region, Portugal. It is also the seat of the Douro (intermunicipal community), Douro Intermunicipal communities of Portugal, intermunicipal comm ...

and Bragança, with 5 other municipalities on the south bank of the Douro river included in the districts of

Viseu Viseu () is a city and municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal and the capital of the Viseu District, district of the same name, with a population of 100,105 inhabitants in the entire municipality, and center of the Viseu Dão Lafões Interm ...

and Guarda. The name — Beyond-the-Mountains and Upper Douro — refers to the location on the "other" (eastern) side of such mountains as Marão, Alvão and Gerês, which separate the coast from the interior, and along the upper valley of the Douro River. This isolation kept the province poor and underpopulated for centuries, causing many people to move to the coast or emigrate to other European countries such as

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, and to

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. The most important towns in the region are

, Bragança, Chaves, Mirandela, Macedo de Cavaleiros, Lamego, Peso da Régua, Mogadouro, Miranda do Douro and Valpaços. All are relatively small, with less than 50 000 inhabitants. Many people in the region still live in small villages. Traditionally these villages were cut off from the coast due to the lack of good roads, and suffered the effects of poverty and isolation. Emigration was often the only option. Today the situation has improved with better roads, but most villages are still losing population as youngsters there move to bigger towns for a better life. In small villages the ageing inhabitants still eke out a living from small farms. Corn, rye,

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es,

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

, chestnuts, and

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

s for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...

(namely

Port wine Port wine (, ; ), or simply port, is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often served with dessert wine, ...

) have been the main agricultural products. Granite and mineral water are also important industries. There is a popular saying: "Beyond Marão, those who rule are those who're there" ("Para lá do Marão mandam os que lá estão"). Lisbon has paid little attention to this area until recent years. According to Padre Fontes, a local ethnographer, "in this centuries-old "corner of the corner of Europe", alone, in a struggle against the harsh soil and inclement climate, a character was formed: "that of the sad demeanor, the mistrusting air, courageous, daring, hardworking, loyal, and with strength of character a way of life." ''Etnografia Transmontana, Lisbon, 1992'' The Transmontanos are known in Portugal for their often plentiful table, usually filled with wine, olive oil, sausage and bread.

Municipalities

The historical province of ''Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro'' included 31 municipalities, divided between four districts (

, Bragança,

and Guarda), that include: ;

(14 municipalities): * Alijó * Boticas * Chaves * Mesão Frio * Mondim de Basto * Montalegre * Murça * Peso da Régua * Ribeira de Pena * Sabrosa * Santa Marta de Penaguião * Valpaços * Vila Pouca de Aguiar *

; Bragança (12 municipalities) * Alfândega da Fé * Bragança * Carrazeda de Ansiães * Freixo de Espada-à-Cinta * Macedo de Cavaleiros * Miranda do Douro * Mirandela * Mogadouro * Torre de Moncorvo * Vila Flor * Vimioso * Vinhais ;

(4 of 24 municipalities) * Armamar * Lamego * São João da Pesqueira * Tabuaço ; Guarda (1 of 14 municipalities) * Vila Nova de Foz Côa In 1998 there was a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on the creation of new Administrative Regions. The proposed region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro included these 31 municipalities, plus Mêda, also from the District of Guarda. The referendum had low participation (less than the required 50% to be mandatory), but the No won and the Administrative Regions were not created.

Culture

Mask Diabo of Portugal used on folk fest and rituals

Due to the region's isolation from outside influence, many folkloric forms have remained preserved up to the modern day. One example would be the area's distinctive traditional bagpipe, the '' gaita transmontana''. Not only did Trás-os-Montes maintain a piping tradition as bagpipes in general declined throughout Europe, but the regional bagpipe also shows many aspects of pre-modern musical scales which have been preserved. Also, it's in this region that is spoken the second official language of Portugal, the

Mirandese language Mirandese ( ) is an Asturleonese language, Asturleonese language or variety that is sparsely spoken in a small area of northeastern Portugal in eastern Terra de Miranda, Tierra de Miranda (made up of the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mi ...

External links

Portal de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tras-Os-Montes E Alto Douro Province Provinces of Portugal (1936–1976)

History

Municipalities

Culture

See also

External links