Misplaced Pages

#526473

12-523: It covers an area of 17.89 square kilometres (6.91 sq mi) and as of 2011 had a population of 31,070, making it the largest city in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira . It was promoted to city status in 1990. It is a city and a suburb near the Tagus River (rio Tejo), in the Lisbon metropolitan area . Alverca has been deeply connected with aviation since the early 20th century. A military air base

24-583: The Socialist Party . Vila Franca de Xira has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 6 civil parishes ( freguesias ): Arruda dos Vinhos Arruda dos Vinhos ( European Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐˈʁuðɐ ðuʒ ˈviɲuʃ] ) is a municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2011

36-577: The Tagus River , 32 km (20 mi) north-east of the Portuguese capital Lisbon , settlement in the area dates back to neolithic times, as evidenced by findings in the Cave of Pedra Furada . Vila Franca de Xira is said to have been founded by French followers of Portugal's first king, Afonso Henriques , around 1200. The town is mostly famous for its bull-running festivals in July and October. Bulls are raised in

48-675: The Quinta de São Sebastião, a sprawling estate at Arruda dos Vinhos , 11 km (6.8 mi) west of Vila Franca de Xira. The municipality contains several forts built during the Peninsular War and forming part of the Lines of Torres Vedras . These include the Fort of Subserra on the first line of defence and the Forts of Serra da Aguieira and the Fort of Casa on the second line. Another place of interest, on

60-480: The Tagus in the vicinity of Alverca. This Lisbon location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vila Franca de Xira Vila Franca de Xira ( European Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈvilɐ ˈfɾɐ̃kɐ ðɨ ˈʃiɾɐ] ) is a city and municipality in the Lisbon District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 137,659, in an area of 318.19 km . Situated on both banks of

72-459: The left bank, is the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora de Alcamé , which was built so that farmers on the Tagus floodplain would both have somewhere to pray and also somewhere of safety during floods. An annual pilgrimage is held to the hermitage with participants going by boat from the town of Vila Franca de Xira on the right bank. The current mayor is Fernando Paulo Ferreira, elected in 2021 as a member of

84-631: The salty marshlands of the Ribatejo , which is also a notable breeding ground for the Lusitano horse, esteemed for its quick reflexes and maneuverability. A number of brightly coloured Portuguese bullfighting costumes are on display in the ethnographic museum in the town's bullring, the Praça de Toiros (or Touros) Palha Blanco . Notably, the town was the stage for the eponymous Vilafrancada in May of 1823. The Vilafrancada

96-577: The town benefited from the completion of the Marechal Carmona Bridge. Located almost equidistantly between Lisbon and Santarém, The town provided an ideal place for a road bridge. The bridge was the first to cross the Tagus in the Lisbon region, and remained its only crossing until the inauguration of the 25 de Abril Bridge fifteen years later. As a result, Vilafranca experienced greater traffic and commercial opportunities during this period. Nearby,

108-557: The town's Misericórdia church features striking 18th-century azulejos (glazed tiles). The town also has a Museum of Neo-Realism. 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Vila Franca de Xira lies the Lezíria Grande Equestrian Centre, where visitors can watch displays of the Lusitano horses. The centre also stages typical bullfighting spectacles in its outdoor bullring. Visitors can ride Lusitano horses and take dressage lessons at

120-446: Was 13,391, in an area of 77.96 square kilometres (30.10 sq mi). The present Mayor is André Filipe dos Santos Rijo, elected from the Socialist Party . Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes ( freguesias ): In 1809-10 several forts were constructed in the municipality as part of the Lines of Torres Vedras , which were defensive lines to protect the Portuguese capital Lisbon from invasion by

132-609: Was an insurrection led by prince Miguel I of Portugal , son of King John VI of Portugal , which sought to reestablish an absolutist monarchy in Portugal. This came in response to the Portuguese Constitution of 1822 - the Kingdom's first constitution - which turned Portugal from an absolutist monarchy to a parliamentarian monarchy. The Vilafrancada can be seen as a prelude to the Portuguese Civil War of 1828-34 . In 1951,

SECTION 10

#1732851452527

144-631: Was built there in 1918. The aerospace company OGMA , the Portuguese Air Force General Storage, the Air Force Aerodrome Engineering Unit and a branch of the Air Museum are presently based there. The Alverca aviation facilities also housed the first international airport of Portugal, closed after the inauguration of Lisbon Airport in 1942. Philippe Cousteau died in 1979 after his flying boat crashed into

#526473