Vila Real Municipality

Vila Real
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Portugal
Coordinates: 41°17′N 7°48′W
Country	Portugal
Region	Norte
Subregion	Douro
District/A.R.	Vila Real
Government
• Mayor	Manuel Martins (PSD)
Area
• Total	378.8 km2 (146.3 sq mi)
Population
• Total	50,131
• Density	132.3/km2 (343/sq mi)
Parishes (no.)	30
Municipal holiday	Saint Anthony June 13
Website	http://www.cm-vilareal.pt

Vila Real (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ʁiˈaɫ]) is a town and a municipality, seat of the district of Vila Real, in Norte region, Portugal. The seat of the municipality is the city of Vila Real.

The municipality is composed of 30 parishes (freguesias) and has a total area of 378.8 km² and a total population of 50,499 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper (includes 3 parishes) has a population of 24,481.

Note: civil parishes (freguesias) are not necessarily coincident with ecclesiastic parishes (paróquias).

Vila Real is ranked number 7 in the Portuguese most livable cities survey of living conditions published yearly by Expresso.

Population of Vila Real Municipality Year Pop. ±% 1801 37,041 — 1849 25,329 −31.6% 1900 35,976 +42.0% 1930 37,951 +5.5% 1960 47,773 +25.9% 1981 47,020 −1.6% 1991 46,300 −1.5% 2001 49,957 +7.9% 2004 50,049 +0.2% 2006 50,423 +0.7% 2008 50,131 −0.6%

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms of Vila Real - a sword embedded in a wreath of zambujeiro (wild olive tree) and the slogan Aleu - is derived from the decorative motif of the tomb of Pedro de Menezes, 1st Count of Vila Real, found in the Igreja da Graça in Santarém. 'Aleu' or 'aleo' is an old Portuguese term for a 'gaming stick' (as used in hockey or shuffleboard). It refers to a famous episode concerning Pedro de Menezes from shortly after 1415. Pedro de Menezes was engaged in an outdoor game in the king's presence when a messenger arrived reporting an imminent Moroccan attack on Portuguese-held Ceuta. Menezes is said to have raised his gaming stick (aleo) and told the king that "with that stick alone" he could defend Ceuta from all the power of Morocco.

Geography and climate

Located in a promontory, formed by the gorges of the Corgo and Cabril rivers, Vila Real has an elevation of 460 m. The Alvão and Marão mountains overlook the town on the North and West side, respectively, rising up to 1400 m.

Due to the geographical location, its climate is a mix between Temperate and Mediterranean. Winters are long, with negative temperatures and frequent frosts. In Summer, it is common to reach temperatures near 40 °C.

Weather averages for Vila Real
Temperature
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec		Average
Highest °C	19,1	23,7	28,2	31,6	34,4	38,5	41,4	40,4	37,6	32,3	24,4	20,6
Average high °C	10,2	12,3	15,3	18,2	20,7	25,7	29,1	29,3	25,7	20,2	14,2	10,5		19,3
Average °C	6,2	7,4	10,2	12,6	14,9	19,0	21,4	21,6	19,1	14,4	9,7	6,6		13,6
Average low °C	2,3	2,6	5,2	6,9	9,1	12,2	13,8	13,9	12,5	8,7	5,2	2,7		7,9
Lowest °C	-7,2	-6,3	-5,6	-2,0	0,0	4,0	6,5	6,1	2,4	-1,7	-5,2	-6,8
Precipitation
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec		Total
Total mm	156,5	110,4	145,6	77,3	61,2	31,5	10,2	15,5	38,4	83,6	129,8	158,8		1018,8
Data from 1931 to 1960.

Transportation

Highways

• A24 - Connects Chaves (frontier with Galiza, Spain), to the North, and Viseu, to the South.
  • A7 - Indirect connection to Minho (Braga, Guimarães, etc.), from Vila Pouca de Aguiar, via A24.
• IP4 - Main Road that connects Porto, to the West, and Bragança, Northeast and the frontier with Castilla y Leon, Spain. Its conversion to highway from Amarante to the border is underway.

Airfield

Vila Real airfield (VRL) - Located 4 km from city centre, near the Industrial Zone, in the Folhadela parish. Has a paved runway with 950×30 m. There's a regular airline service with AeroVIP to Bragança (BGC) and Lisbon (LIS).

Railway

Train Station

There's a narrow gauge (1 m) railway that connects the city to Regua, 25 km south, in the Douro valley. Presently, it is closed for renovation. It follows the Corgo river valley and offers splendid views to the characteristic vineyards clinging on to almost vertical.

Urban Bus

The City Bus system in Vila Real is run by Corgobus. Has 5 lines and transported about 1.35 million people in 2008.

Main Distances

• Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) Portugal - 100 km
• Porto Portugal - 97 km
• Lisboa Portugal - 411 km
• Braga Portugal - 100 km
• Chaves Portugal - 68 km
• Bragança Portugal - 120 km
• Viseu Portugal - 90 km
• Madrid Spain - 520 km

Civil Parishes

The civil (administrative) parishes of the Vila Real municipality are:

Civil Parishes of Vila Real

Abaças Adoufe Andrães Arroios Borbela Campeã Constantim Ermida Folhadela Guiães Justes Lamares Lamas de Olo Lordelo Mateus

Mondrões Mouçós Nogueira Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Vila Real) Parada de Cunhos Pena Quintã São Dinis (Vila Real) São Pedro (Vila Real) São Tomé do Castelo Torgueda Vale de Nogueiras Vila Cova Vila Marim Vilarinho de Samardã

Notable people

• Diogo Cão (15th century) - Navigator
• Gen. José Augusto Alves Roçadas (1865–1926) - Colonial governor in Angola
• Carvalho Araújo (1881–1918) - Politician and Military
• Paulo Alves (b. 1969) - Football Player
• Simão Sabrosa (b. 1979) - Football Player

Sister cities

• Osnabrück, Germany
• Ourense, Spain
• Grasse, France
• Mende, France
• Espinho, Portugal
• Oeiras, Portugal
• Portimão, Portugal

Gallery

• 

  Palácio de Mateus

• 

  Panoramic view from the South

• 

  Quintela Tower

• 

  Agarez Waterfall

• 

  Typical Houses

• 

  Corgo River and Metallic Bridge in Vila Real

• 

  Panóias Sanctuary

• 

  Diogo Cão House

• 

  Public Library

• 

  Theatre

• 

  Shopping Centre

• 

  Shopping Centre (interior)

External links

• Municipality official website
• University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro
• Vila Real Theatre
• Infantry Regiment no. 13
• Photos from Vila Real
• AeroVIP site (Flights Bragança - Vila Real - Lisboa)