Caldas da Rainha
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Caldas da Rainha is a city (Portuguese: cidade) in Portugal. The name can be translated as "Queen's Hot Springs", "Queen's Spa" or "Queen's Thermal Waters". Caldas da Rainha is the seat of the larger municipality (Portuguese: concelho or município) of the same name. Caldas da Rainha is the capital of the Comunidade Urbana do Oeste (West Urban Community; part of the nation's latest local government plan). The city is best known for its hot springs and pottery.
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History
The Founding
Caldas da Rainha was founded by Queen Leonor, wife of King João II. One day in 1484, while traveling from Óbidos to Batalha, she found a group of peasants bathing in foul-smelling waters by the roadside. She stopped to inquire about this oddity and was told that the waters possessed curative powers. She decided to try it for herself. She was pleased to find that she was quickly relieved of some affliction she had been suffering (exactly what is not known). On that site, the queen ordered a thermal hospital built so that others may enjoy the relief that she felt. Construction began the following year, 1485. Although the first patients were admitted in 1488, construction was not completed until about 1496 or 1497. The name of the settlement that grew up around the site (Caldas da Rainha), reminds us of both its founder and the reason for its existence.
Evolution
Caldas da Rainha was officially elevated to the status of town (Portuguese: vila) in 1511. It became a city in 1927.
Historical Tidbits
During World War II hundreds of Jewish refugees came to Caldas da Rainha to escape Nazism.
Law/Government
Câmara Municipal
- President: Fernando José da Costa
- Vice-President: Fernando Manuel Tinta Ferreira
- Members (Party):
Assembleia Municipal
- President: Luis Manuel Monteiro Ribeiro
- Members (Party):
- José Luís de Carvalho Lalanda Ribeiro (PSD)
- José Eduardo Vera Cruz Jardim (PS)
- Luís Manuel Pereira Monteiro Ribeiro (PSD)
- Rui Alves Gomes (PSD)
- Manuel Mendes Nunes (PS)
- José Fernando d'Almeida Silva Pereira (PSD)
- Luís Miguel da Rosa Goulão Freire (PSD)
- Arnaldo Lino Monteiro da Rocha (PS)
- Faustino Filipe Cunha (PSD, Independent)
- Mário de Sousa Tavares (PS)
- Daniel Miguel Rebelo (PSD)
- Duarte Nuno Batista Ferreira (CDS/PP)
- Maria Da Conceição da Costa Martins (PSD)
- Maria Margarida Nave Nunes Maldonado Freitas (PS)
- Pedro Miguel de Oliveira Marques (PSD)
- Nuno Filipe Vieira Lino Fausto de Sousa (PSD)
- Mário António Duarte Pacheco (PS)
- José Pedro Fernandes Viegas (PSD, Independent)
- Ana Margarida Lopes Botelho (CDU)
- Sara Maria Belo Velez (PS)
- Vitor Manuel Antunes Gancho (PSD)
Geography
Caldas da Rainha is located at 39.40°N latitde 9.13°W longitde. The municipality comprises an area of 254.6 km² (updated 2003 statistics). The city is located approximately 82 km north of the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. Although the municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean, the city proper is about 10 km from the ocean.
Administratively, Caldas da Rainha is in the district of Leiria. Statistically, it is in the sub-region of Oeste within the region of Lisboa e Vale do Tejo. Historically, it is located in the province of Estremadura.
The municipality is bordered to the north by Alcobaça, to the east by Rio Maior and to the south by Bombarral, Cadaval and Óbidos.
List of Freguesias
The municipality of Caldas da Rainha comprises sixteen parishes (Portuguese: freguesias). They are:
| Freguesia | Population (Resident) (2001 census) | Area (Total) (km2) |
|---|---|---|
| A-dos-Francos | 1,797 | 19.78 |
| Alvorninha | 3,123 | 37.62 |
| Carvalhal Benfeito | 1,339 | 14.08 |
| Coto | 1,135 | 5.50 |
| Foz do Arelho | 1,223 | 9.95 |
| Landal | 1,144 | 9.94 |
| Nadadouro | 1,422 | 9.22 |
| Nossa Senhora do Pópulo (part of the city of Caldas da Rainha) | 14,453 | 12.30 |
| Salir de Matos | 2,428 | 24.29 |
| Salir do Porto | 770 | 9.91 |
| Santa Catarina | 3,282 | 19.94 |
| Santo Onofre (part of the city of Caldas da Rainha) | 10,775 | 9.11 |
| São Gregório | 907 | 14.42 |
| Serra do Bouro | 720 | 17.98 |
| Tornada | 3,150 | 19.82 |
| Vidais | 1,178 | 22.21 |
Note: Nossa Senhora do Pópulo and Santo Onofre are urban freguesias and form the city of Caldas da Rainha; the other fourteen freguesias form the rural part of the municipality and do not belong to the city. Some sources, including the INE, count part or all of Tornada as being part of the city, due to its increasingly urban nature.
The two freguesias which comprise the city are officially designated by the INE as Caldas da Rainha (N Senhora do Pópulo) and Caldas da Rainha (Santo Onofre). N Senhora do Pópulo is listed by this organization between Alvorninha and Carvalhal Benfeito, as if its name were simply Caldas da Rainha. Santo Onofre is last in the INE's list of Caldas's freguesias, because it was the most recent created, and the INE must not have wanted to upset the numeration of the freguesias.
Economy
There are 1,604 business firms in the municipality. 4% are in the primary sector (agriculture), 23.2% are in the secondary sector (manufacturing) and 72.8% are in the tertiary sector (services).
There are 30 banking institutions, with deposits totaling €528,543,300.
49% of the population is employed, while 6.5% are unemployed. (The remainder are too young, are retired or do not otherwise participate in the workforce.)
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (2002 statistics; employment stats are from 2001)
Demographics
As of the 2001 census, there are 48,846 inhabitants in the municipality. This represents a 13.1% increase over the 1991 population of 43,205.
Of current inhabitants, 23,483 (48.1%) are male and 25,363 (51.9%) are female. Inhabitants aged 14 and under number 7,666 (15.7%), those aged 15 to 24 number 6,509 (13.3%), those aged 25 to 64 number 25,867 (53.0%) and those aged 65 and over number 8,804 (18.0%).
The population density is 197.1 inhabitants/km² (2002).
See the freguesias section for a breakdown of population by freguesia.
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística
Sites of Interest
Beaches and Water
- Foz do Arelho — beach on Atlantic Ocean, 10 km from center of town
- Lagoa de Óbidos — lagoon which empties into the Atlantic Ocean
- Salir do Porto — beach on the Atlantic Ocean
Churches
- Ermida da São Sebastião — 16th-century chapel
- Igreja Nossa Senhora do Pópulo — church near the thermal hospital, ca. 1500, built by order of Queen Leonor
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição (XX Century)
Museums
- Casa Museu de S. Rafael — ceramics
- Museu Atelier António Duarte — sculpture
- Museu Atelier João Fragoso — sculpture
- Museu da Cerâmica — ceramics museum
- Museu do Hospital e das Caldas — art museum asscociated with the thermal hospital
- Museu José Malhoa — art museum located in Parque D. Carlos I
Parks and Plazas
- Parque D. Carlos I — park in center of town
- Praça da República — square in center of town; surrounded by shops; hosts daily green market (aka Praça da Fruta)
Colleges/Universities
- Centro de Formação Profissional da Indústria Metalúrgica e Metalomecânica (CENFIM) — metallurgy and metal mechanics
- Centro de Formação Profissional para a Indústria Cerâmica (CENCAL) — ceramics
- Escola de Tecnologia e Gestão Industrial (ETGI) — technology and industrial management (Associação para a Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Católica, AESBUC)
- Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) — biotechnology
- Escola Superior de Educação de Leiria — education
- Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Gestão, Arte e Design (ESTGAD) — technology, management, art and design
- Escola Técnica Empresarial do Oeste — business technology
- Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa
Sports Teams
To come
Notable Natives
Local Interest
Ceramics
Caldas da Rainha is known for its glazed ceramic pottery (louça das Caldas). Much of this is shaped like fruits, vegetables and animals. Other styles include breasts, phalluses and nude figurines. The ceramics are available for purchase at stands in the daily market at Praça da República and shops in the vicinity. They are also available in stores outside Portugal, including a number of upmarket housewares stores.
One popular ceramic figure is Zé Povinho. This bearded peasant, a sort of symbol of the region, represents "everyman". He is shown with an upraised fist.
The pottery can be utilitarian as well as decorative. One popular model is a soup tureen shaped like a cabbge.
Gastronomy
Cavacas das Caldas are a small-bowl-sized, shell-shaped confection of flour and eggs, with a crunchy sugar covering. Beijinhos das Caldas (English: "kisses") are similar, but are smaller and round.
Miscellaneous Information
- Municipal Holiday: May 15
- Postal Code: 2500
- Telephone Dialing Code: 262
External Links
Official Web Site
- Câmara Municipal de Caldas da Rainha (http://www.cm-caldas-rainha.pt/) — The municipal government's Web site (in Portuguese; English in development)
General Interest
- Oeste Online (http://www.oesteonline.pt/)
- Caldas Online (http://caldas.online.pt/)
Maps
- The city (Câmara Municipal) (http://www.cm-caldas-rainha.pt/Conteudo/MapaCidade/MapaCidade.asp)
- The city (viajar.clix.pt) (http://viajar.clix.pt/pt/dst3160.php?mc=caldrainha&mg=1&lg=pt)
- The city center (viajar.clix.pt) (http://viajar.clix.pt/pt/dst3160.php?mc=caldrainha2&mg=1&lg=pt)
- Borders of the freguesias (Câmara Municipal) (http://www.cm-caldas-rainha.pt/Conteudo/ApresentacaoConcelho/ApresentacaoConcelho.asp)
- Colorful, clickable map showing sites and businesses (Caldas Online) (http://caldas.online.pt/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11)
- Principal roads to Caldas da Rainha (Caldas Online) (http://caldas.online.pt/modules.php?name=Sections&sop=viewarticle&artid=22)
- Caldas da Rainha in context of Disrict of Leiria (supertravelnet.com) (http://www.supertravelnet.com/maps/index.php?country=238_5031_7&taps=1)
Newspapers
- Gazeta da Caldas (http://www.gazetacaldas.com/)
- Jornal das Caldas (http://www.jornaldascaldas.com/)
- Jornal Oeste Online (http://www.oesteonline.pt/)
Education
Colleges/Universities
- Centro de Formação Profissional para a Indústria Cerâmica (CENCAL) (http://www.cencal.pt/)
- Escola de Tecnologia e Gestão Industrial (ETGI) (http://www.aesbuc.pt/etgi/)
- Escola Profissional Técnica Empresarial do Oeste (http://www.ep-tecn-empresarial-oeste.rcts.pt/)
- Escola Superior de Artes e Design (http://www.esad.ipleiria.pt/)
- Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) (http://www.esb.ucp.pt/)
Secondary Schools
- Escola Secundária de Raul Proença (http://www.esrp.pt/) — contains some useful information in English
Miscellaneous
- Bandeiras do Concelho das Caldas da Rainha (http://www.terravista.pt/guincho/1421/bandeira/pt-cld.htm) — Flag of the municipality (in Portuguese)
- Caldas da Rainha photo gallery by Dias dos Reis (http://www.pbase.com/diasdosreis/caldas)de:Caldas da Rainha