caldas da rainha

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 municpio) 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.

History

The Founding

Caldas da Rainha was founded by Queen Leonor, wife of King Joo II. One day in 1484, while traveling from bidos 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

Cmara Municipal

President: Fernando Jos da Costa
Vice-President: Fernando Manuel Tinta Ferreira
Members (Party):

Fernando Manuel Tinta Ferreira (PSD)
Maria da Coneio Feliciano Antunes Bretts Jardim Pereira (PSD)
Jorge Manuel Mangorrinha Martins (PSD)
Hugo Patrcio Martinho de Oliveira (PSD)
Herminio do Coito Mas (PS)
Joo Pedro da Silva Correia (PS)

Assembleia Municipal

President: Luis Manuel Monteiro Ribeiro
Members (Party):

Jos Lus de Carvalho Lalanda Ribeiro (PSD)
Jos Eduardo Vera Cruz Jardim (PS)
Lus Manuel Pereira Monteiro Ribeiro (PSD)
Rui Alves Gomes (PSD)
Manuel Mendes Nunes (PS)
Jos Fernando d'Almeida Silva Pereira (PSD)
Lus Miguel da Rosa Goulo Freire (PSD)
Arnaldo Lino Monteiro da Rocha (PS)
Faustino Filipe Cunha (PSD, Independent)
Mrio de Sousa Tavares (PS)
Daniel Miguel Rebelo (PSD)
Duarte Nuno Batista Ferreira (CDS/PP)
Maria Da Conceio 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)
Mrio Antnio Duarte Pacheco (PS)
Jos 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 39.40N latitde 9.13W 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 Alcobaa, to the east by Rio Maior and to the south by Bombarral, Cadaval and bidos.

List of Freguesias

The municipality of Caldas da Rainha comprises sixteen parishes (Portuguese: freguesias). They are:

lign=bottom\|Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatstica (INE)
i>Freguesia	Population (Resident) (2001 census)	Area (Total) (km²)
a href="/encyclopedia/A-dos-Francos" title="A-dos-Francos">A-dos-Francos	align=right\|1,797	align=right\|19.78
a href="/encyclopedia/Alvorninha" title="Alvorninha">Alvorninha	align=right\|3,123	align=right\|37.62
a href="/encyclopedia/Carvalhal-Benfeito" title="Carvalhal Benfeito">Carvalhal Benfeito	align=right\|1,339	align=right\|14.08
a href="/encyclopedia/Coto" title="Coto">Coto	align=right\|1,135	align=right\|5.50
a href="/encyclopedia/Foz-do-Arelho" title="Foz do Arelho">Foz do Arelho	align=right\|1,223	align=right\|9.95
a href="/encyclopedia/Landal" title="Landal">Landal	align=right\|1,144	align=right\|9.94
a href="/encyclopedia/Nadadouro" title="Nadadouro">Nadadouro	align=right\|1,422	align=right\|9.22
a href="/encyclopedia/Nossa-Senhora-do-Ppulo" title="Nossa Senhora do Ppulo">Nossa Senhora do Ppulo (part of the city of Caldas da Rainha)	align=right\|14,453	align=right\|12.30
a href="/encyclopedia/Salir-de-Matos" title="Salir de Matos">Salir de Matos	align=right\|2,428	align=right\|24.29
a href="/encyclopedia/Salir-do-Porto" title="Salir do Porto">Salir do Porto	align=right\|770	align=right\|9.91
a href="/encyclopedia/Santa-Catarina,-Caldas-da-Rainha,-Portugal" title="Santa Catarina, Caldas da Rainha, Portugal">Santa Catarina	align=right\|3,282	align=right\|19.94
a href="/encyclopedia/Santo-Onofre" title="Santo Onofre">Santo Onofre (part of the city of Caldas da Rainha)	align=right\|10,775	align=right\|9.11
a href="/encyclopedia/So-Gregrio" title="So Gregrio">So Gregrio	align=right\|907	align=right\|14.42
a href="/encyclopedia/Serra-do-Bouro" title="Serra do Bouro">Serra do Bouro	align=right\|720	align=right\|17.98
a href="/encyclopedia/Tornada" title="Tornada">Tornada	align=right\|3,150	align=right\|19.82
a href="/encyclopedia/Vidais" title="Vidais">Vidais	align=right\|1,178	align=right\|22.21

Note: Nossa Senhora do Ppulo 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 Ppulo) and Caldas da Rainha (Santo Onofre). N Senhora do Ppulo 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 Estatstica (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 Estatstica

Sites of Interest

Beaches and Water

Foz do Arelho beach on Atlantic Ocean, 10 km from center of town
Lagoa de bidos lagoon which empties into the Atlantic Ocean
Salir do Porto beach on the Atlantic Ocean

Churches

Ermida da So Sebastio 16th-century chapel
Igreja Nossa Senhora do Ppulo church near the thermal hospital, ca. 1500, built by order of Queen Leonor
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceio (XX Century)

Museums

Casa Museu de S. Rafael ceramics
Museu Atelier Antnio Duarte sculpture
Museu Atelier Joo Fragoso sculpture
Museu da Cermica ceramics museum
Museu do Hospital e das Caldas art museum asscociated with the thermal hospital
Museu Jos Malhoa art museum located in Parque D. Carlos I

Parks and Plazas

Parque D. Carlos I park in center of town
Praa da Repblica square in center of town; surrounded by shops; hosts daily green market (aka Praa da Fruta)

Colleges/Universities

Centro de Formao Profissional da Indstria Metalrgica e Metalomecnica (CENFIM) metallurgy and metal mechanics
Centro de Formao Profissional para a Indstria Cermica (CENCAL) ceramics
Escola de Tecnologia e Gesto Industrial (ETGI) technology and industrial management (Associao para a Escola Superior de Biotecnologia da Universidade Catlica, AESBUC)
Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (Universidade Catlica Portuguesa) biotechnology
Escola Superior de Educao de Leiria education
Escola Superior de Tecnologia, Gesto, Arte e Design (ESTGAD) technology, management, art and design
Escola Tcnica Empresarial do Oeste business technology
Universidade Autnoma de Lisboa

Sports Teams

To come

Notable Natives

Local Interest

Ceramics

Caldas da Rainha is known for its glazed ceramic pottery (loua 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 Praa da Repblica 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 Z 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.