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52-637: Inhabited by the Lusitanians , an Indo-European people living in the western Iberian Peninsula , the Romans settled in the region and colonized it as a part of the Roman Province of Lusitânia . The Roman town of Conímbriga , near Coimbra , is among the most noted and well-preserved remains of that period. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire , Visigoths were the main rulers and colonizers from

104-466: A European branch of Indo-European dialects, termed "North-west Indo-European" and associated with the Beaker culture, may have been ancestral to not only Celtic and Italic, but also to Germanic and Balto-Slavic. Ellis Evans believes that Gallaecian - Lusitanian were one language (not separate languages) of the "P" Celtic variant. The Lusitanians were a people formed by several tribes that lived between

156-450: A distinct advantage. On that border, the more than one dozen fortified frontier villages beckon today's visitors to come explore a 900-year history — full of the heroism, epic battles and romance upon which Portugal struggled to become a nation. Today, Portugal boasts the longest-standing border in all of Europe . In these rural border villages , ancient rituals and religious festivals remain popular. Visitors can sample them and partake in

208-615: A fierce battle in 1664, and visitors can view the remains of the castle and its keep , as well as a palace. The town also has a small Gothic church . Near Castelo Mendo stands an intricate stone bridge built by the Romans . Most of the castles in this border region of Central are classified as national monuments . These stone fortresses date back to the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries. Castles, or parts of castles, still stand at Alfaiates, Sortelha, Vilar Maior , Sabugal , Castelo Mendo, Castelo Bom , Castelo Rodrigo, Penamacor, Monsanto, Pinhel and Almeida. A 20-castle route has been delineated by

260-469: A second name linked to a locality such as Bandua Aetobrico, and Nabia , a goddess of rivers and streams. According to Strabo the Lusitanians were given to offering sacrifices; they practiced divination on the sacrificial offering by inspecting its vitals and veins. They also sacrificed human victims, prisoners of war, by striking them under coarse blankets and observing which way they fell. They cut off

312-495: Is July 2. The village lies 7.2 kilometres (4.5 miles) west of the border with Spain and straddles the N332 road. The Rio Côa run northwards a short distance to the west of the village. The town's castle fortress was completed in 1641 and is located to the north of the village and is approached through the two tunnel gates and dry moat named the Portas de São Francisco . In and around

364-613: Is a fortified village and a municipality in the sub-region of Beira Interior Norte and the District of Guarda , Portugal. The town proper has a population of 1,300 people (2011). The municipality population in 2011 was 7,242, in an area of 517.98 square kilometres (199.99 square miles). It is located in Riba-Côa river valley. The present Mayor is António Baptista Ribeiro, elected by the Social Democratic Party . The municipal holiday

416-482: Is crisscrossed by rivers. Several river valleys at the foot of the mountains have a full bodied charm that draw one to outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, tennis and canoeing. In the Winter season, skiing on Serra da Estrela is a popular activity, but in some places, like near the town of Seia , skiing before the Winter season is possible due to artificial snow infrastructures. The coastal plain has several beaches, like

468-542: Is divided in eight sub-regions: The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 38.2 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 18.8% of Portugal's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 20,100 euros or 67% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 68% of the EU average. One of Portugal's richest regions by the abundance of natural streams of water, forests, arable land and its long coast line,

520-513: Is one of the largest industrialized areas in Portugal. Important products such as motor vehicles , food , electrical appliances , machinery , chemicals , and paper are produced there. Higher education , research and development , healthcare , information technologies , biotechnology , forestry , agriculture , fishing , and tourism industries are all major industries in the region. The wine regions of Dão DOC and Bairrada DOC are among

572-446: The Beaker culture . The Lusitanians worshiped various gods in a very diverse polytheism , using animal sacrifice . They represented their gods and warriors in rudimentary sculpture. Endovelicus was the most important god for the Lusitanians. He is considered a possible Basque language loan god by some, yet according to scholars like José Leite de Vasconcelos , the word Endovellicus

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624-492: The Celtiberians . They threw their darts from some distance, yet often hit their marks and wounded their targets deeply. Being active and nimble warriors, they would pursue their enemies and decapitate them. "In a narrow pass 300 Lusitani faced 1000 Romans; as a result of the action 70 of the former and 320 of the latter died. When the victorious Lusitani retired and dispersed confidently, one of them on foot became separated, and

676-519: The County of Coimbra . It was integrated into the newly created Condado Portucalensis , the early precursor of the modern nation of Portugal . The modern region matches up roughly with the boundaries of the historical Beira Province . Beira was an historical province of Portugal and its name was used by the heirs to the Portuguese throne during the monarchy period, before 1910. The princes were known as

728-536: The Italic languages ; based on the names of Lusitanian deities with other grammatical elements of the area. The Lusitanian language may in fact have been basal Italo-Celtic , a branch independent from Celtic and Italic , and splitting off early from Proto-Celtic and Proto-Italic populations who spread from Central Europe into western Europe after new Yamnaya migrations into the Danube Valley. Alternatively,

780-456: The Peninsular War , ended spectacularly when a chance shell ignited the main gunpowder magazine, which exploded, killing 500 defenders and destroying most of the town. See main article: Label: Lista de património edificado em Almeida See external links: Almeida, Portugal § External links The primary sector is the main source of wealth of the municipality of Almeida, similarly to

832-538: The Princes of Beira . Since 2024, Oeste in historical Estremadura and Médio Tejo in historical Ribatejo are part of the new NUTS II Oeste e Vale do Tejo region . Along the region's mountainous border with Spain are a series of fortresses and castles that once protected the country from its many invaders. Over the centuries, Moors, Christians , Spaniards and Portuguese have all tried to take these villages , but their higher elevations usually gave them

884-461: The Seven Years' War (1754 to 1763) which involved most of the great powers of Europe, Spain with the help of France launched an attack on Portugal due to its alliance with Great Britain . As a result of the invasion Almeida was captured by Spain in 1762. The fortress around the town guards an important cross-border road from Spain , and underwent several sieges. The siege of 1810 , during

936-457: The Turdetani ( Celtic , pre-Celtic Indo-European , or Iberians ) and came from the south. The name Turduli Veteres (older or ancient Turduli), a tribe that dwelt in today's Aveiro District , seems to indicate they came from the north and not from the south (contrary to what is assumed on the map). Several Turduli peoples were possibly Callaeci tribes that initially came from the north, towards

988-577: The 5th to the 8th century. In the 8th century, the Muslim conquest of Iberia turned the region a Muslim-dominated territory. In the earliest years of the Christian Reconquista , just before the rise of a Portuguese national identity, the region was a battle place between Christian crusaders and Muslim Moors. Once the Christian regained control, kings and landlords made the region a county, called

1040-579: The Central region has some of the most economically dynamic and densely populated municipalities of the country. Excellent transportation links with the Lisbon metropolitan area to the south and the Porto Metropolitan Area to the north, making ocean, rail and motorway access possible via containers, have all contributed to making manufacturing the principal industry, found mainly in the littoral strip, which

1092-478: The Portugal government (see www.visitportugal.com ), of which Sortelha, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Rodrigo and the fortified town of Almeida are considered gems among them all. The Centro is a region of diversified landscapes. The interior is mountainous with some plateaus, dominated by the Serra da Estrela mountain. The region is plentiful of pine and chestnut trees forests. The green, rugged landscape of this region

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1144-518: The Roman conquest. They ruled the Lusitanians (before Viriathus ) for some time, leading the tribes in the resistance against Roman attempts of conquest, and were successful. The known Lusitanian tribes were: It remains to be known if the Turduli Veteres , Turduli Oppidani , Turduli Bardili , and Turduli were Lusitanian tribes (coastal tribes), were related Celtic peoples, or were instead related to

1196-522: The cities of Porto , Aveiro , Braga , Guimarães or Viana do Castelo have to make an additional transfer at Pampilhosa or Coimbra-B stations. Vilar Formoso railway station is also served by the international Sud-Express and Lusitânia Comboio Hotel services, hotel trains that connect to Paris and Madrid , stopping in Ciudad Rodrigo and Salamanca and in cities like Valladolid , Burgos , Vitoria-Gasteiz , San Sebastián and Hendaye , in

1248-542: The current name was first used, in the form of the Arabic المائدة al-Ma'ida ('the table'). This name refers to a legend that an ornate bejeweled table captured by Tariq ibn Ziyad was the dining table of King Solomon . The village of Almeida was captured from the Moors by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I in the 12th century because of its strategic position on the new country of Portugal's border with Spain. So important to

1300-664: The enemy. Appian claims that when Praetor Brutus sacked Lusitania after Viriathus's death, the women fought valiantly next to their men as women warriors . While the Lusitanians did not speak a Romance language, nowadays Lusitanian is often used as a metonym for the Portuguese people , and similarly Lusophone is used to refer to a Portuguese speaker within or outside Portugal , Brazil , Macau , Timor-Leste , Angola , Mozambique , Cape Verde , São Tomé and Príncipe , Guinea Bissau and others territories and countries. Almeida, Portugal Almeida ( European Portuguese pronunciation: [alˈmɐjðɐ] )

1352-672: The environment of Almeida, evidence of human occupation can be found dating back to the Bronze Age and Iron Age . Evidence has also been found of Roman occupation followed by the Suevi and the Visigoths . The first fortifications constructed in the settlement were constructed by the Muslims who occupied the village until Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. It was during this time that

1404-415: The fact that the administrative services inherent to a county seat, some bank agencies, law and accountancy offices as well as some traditional commerce and small hotels are located there; Vilar Formoso, due to its dynamics as the main land border, presents a significant number of bank agencies, hotels and commercial establishments. The services considered of social nature have also acquired some relevance in

1456-589: The largest in the region; the Aveiro University ; and the University of Beira Interior . There are also five state-run polytechnical institutes: Castelo Branco Polytechnical Institute ; Coimbra Polytechnical Institute ; Guarda Polytechnical Institute ; Leiria Polytechnical Institute ; Tomar Polytechnical Institute and Viseu Polytechnical Institute . In addition, there are a large number of public nursing schools and private higher education institutions across

1508-825: The leader of the Celtiberians , in their war against the Romans. The Greco-Roman historian Diodorus Siculus likened them to another Celtic tribe: "Those who are called Lusitanians are the bravest of all similar to the Cimbri ". The Lusitanians were also called Belitanians, according to the diviner Artemidorus . Strabo differentiated the Lusitanians from the Iberian tribes and thought of them as being Celtiberians who had been known as Oestriminis in ancient times. However, based on archeological findings, Lusitanians and Vettones seem to have been largely pre-Celtic Indo-European populations that adopted Celtic cultural elements by proximity. On

1560-547: The leader of the Lusitanians, and severely damaged the Roman rule in Lusitania and beyond. In 139 BC, Viriathus was betrayed and killed in his sleep by three of his companions (who had been sent as emissaries to the Romans), Audax, Ditalcus and Minurus , bribed by Marcus Popillius Laenas (although they were Viriathus warrior companions they were not Lusitanians themselves, they seem to have been Turdetanians , or from other people that

1612-503: The most representative, although in general this sector is characterised by low productivity and occupies only about 5% of the working population of the municipality. The structure of the industrial sector has changed significantly, through the dynamisation of the Vilar Formoso industrial park, an infrastructure consisting of 31 lots. The tertiary sector assumes some expression in the parishes of Almeida and Vilar Formoso: Almeida, due to

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1664-450: The most reputed in Portugal . The major industrial, commerce, and service centres are located in and around Coimbra , Aveiro , Viseu , Leiria , Covilhã , Castelo Branco , and Figueira da Foz . Important light industry and agriculture is also based in and around Guarda . The Central region has three public universities : the University of Coimbra , the oldest Portuguese university and

1716-573: The municipality of Almeida, is connected to the rest of the road network via two interchanges: The municipality is also served by a considerable network of national roads: In summary, the distance between Almeida and nearby towns: [REDACTED] In terms of railways, the municipality of Almeida is crossed by the Beira Alta Line , being served by the Vilar Formoso station and the Aldeia stops (at

1768-423: The neighbouring municipalities of the interior. The agricultural and horticultural sector predominates as a complement to other family incomes, in which the smallholding stands out. Given its characteristics, combined with economic and social factors, it has low productivity levels. Livestock comprises about 30 000 cattle and 10 000 sheep and goats. The food, wood and marble and granite processing industries are

1820-689: The ones of Mira , Figueira da Foz , Ílhavo . Natural landmarks in this region are the Serra da Estrela mountain range (the biggest and highest in mainland Portugal ), with its Serra da Estrela Natural Park , the Mondego river (the longest river located exclusively in Portuguese territory), the Aveiro Lagoon (Ria de Aveiro) and the coastal beaches. The largest urban centres include Coimbra , Aveiro , Viseu , Leiria , Covilhã , Castelo Branco , Figueira da Foz , Guarda , Pombal and Águeda . The region

1872-803: The other hand, Pliny the Elder and Pomponius Mela distinguished the Lusitanians from neighboring Celtic groups like the Artabrians in their geographical writings. The original Roman province of Lusitania briefly included the territories of Asturia and Gallaecia , but these were soon ceded to the jurisdiction of the Provincia Tarraconensis in the north, while the south remained the Provincia Lusitania et Vettones . Later, Gallaecia would become its own province (taking much of modern Galicia and Northern Portugal). After this, Lusitania's northern border

1924-473: The region. Lusitanians The Lusitanians were an Indo-European -speaking people living in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula , in present-day central Portugal and Extremadura and Castilla y Leon of Spain . After its conquest by the Romans , the land was subsequently incorporated as a Roman province named after them ( Lusitania ). Frontinus mentions Lusitanian leader Viriathus as

1976-489: The rest of the Romanised Iberian peninsula , eventually gained the status of "Citizens of Rome". Categorising Lusitanian culture generally, including the language, is proving difficult and contentious. Some believe it was essentially a pre-Celtic Iberian culture with substantial Celtic influences, while others argue that it was an essentially Celtic culture with strong indigenous pre-Celtic influences associated with

2028-583: The right hands of their captives, which they offered to the gods. The Lusitanian language was a Paleohispanic language that clearly belongs to the Indo-European family. The precise affiliation of the Lusitanian language inside the Indo-European family is still in debate: there are those who endorse that it is a para-Celtic language with an obvious Celticity to most of the lexicon, over many anthroponyms and toponyms. A second theory relates Lusitanian with

2080-457: The rivers Douro and Tagus , in most of today's Beira and Estremadura regions of central Portugal, and some areas of the Extremadura region (Spain). They were a tribal confederation, not a single political entity; each tribe had its own territory and was independent, and was formed by smaller clans . However, they had a cultural sense of unity and a common name for the tribes. Each tribe

2132-456: The security of the country, Sancho had the village heavily fortified. The castle was refortified on three further occasions by King Dinis , King Manuel I and by King João VI . The present 12 pointed star fortification was constructed in 1641 to a Vaubanesque plan on which the French military engineer is believed to have personally worked, during the castle's final stages of completion. During

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2184-653: The similarly named chieftain). According to Livy , Lusitanian and Celtiberian cavalry performed raids in the north of Italy whenever the terrain was too rough for Hannibal's famed Numidian cavalry . Since 193 BC, the Lusitanians had been fighting the Romans in Hispania. In 150 BC, they were defeated by Praetor Servius Galba: springing a treacherous trap, he killed 9,000 Lusitanians and later sold 20,000 more as slaves in Gaul (modern France ). This massacre would not be forgotten by Viriathus , who three years later (147 BC) would become

2236-554: The south along the coast and then migrated inland along the Tagus and the Anas ( Guadiana River ) valleys. If there were more Lusitanian tribes, their names are unknown. The Lusitanians were considered by historians to be particularly adept at guerrilla warfare . The strongest amongst them were selected to defend the populace in mountainous sites. They used hooked javelins or saunions made of iron, and wielded swords and helmets like those of

2288-450: The traditional foods of that area, such as cheese, sausages, and mountain honey. In the fortress town of Almeida , a walk through the narrow cobbled streets can lead a visitor to the ruins of a once mighty 12-pointed fortress. One of Portugal's many Pousadas — an historic property turned into an inn— is located in Almeida. In the town of Castelo Rodrigo, a memorial stone marks the place of

2340-464: The two towns and in several villages, through the work developed by the social solidarity institutions there, in the areas of support and welcoming of the elderly and also of support to early childhood. Administratively, the municipality is divided into 16 civil parishes ( freguesias ): The town is served by the A25 Motorway , the main motorway linking Portugal and Spain which, in the territory of

2392-601: The village of São Sebastião, parish of Castelo Bom), Freineda, Castelo Mendo (located near the village of Paraisal) and Miuzela. All the mentioned ones are stops of the Regional (CP) service that links the stations of Vilar Formoso and Guarda , allowing the transfer to the Intercidades (Intercities service) between the Guarda station and Lisbon , passing through cities like Coimbra and Santarém . Those who want to go north, namely to

2444-620: Was along the Douro River, while its eastern border passed through Salmantica and Caesarobriga to the Anas ( Guadiana ) river. Lusitanian mercenaries fought for Carthage between the years 218 and 201 BC, during the Second Punic War against Rome. Silius Italicus describes them as forming a combined with the Gallaeci and being led both by a commander named Viriathus (not to be confused with

2496-478: Was not Lusitanian). However, when the three returned to receive their reward from the Romans, the Consul Quintus Servilius Caepio ordered their execution, declaring, "Rome does not pay traitors". After the death of Viriathus, the Lusitanians kept fighting under the leadership of Tautalus , but gradually acquired Roman culture and language; the Lusitanian cities, in a manner similar to those of

2548-555: Was originally Celtic , Andevellicos . Endovelicus is compared with Welsh and Breton names, giving him the meaning of "Very Good God", the same epithet of the Irish god Dagda . Even the Romans worshiped him for his ability to protect. His cult eventually spread across the Iberian peninsula and beyond, to the rest of the Roman Empire and his cult was maintained until the fifth century; he

2600-529: Was ruled by its own tribal aristocracy and chief. Many members of the Lusitanian tribal aristocracy were warriors as happened in many other pre-Roman peoples of the Iron Age . Only when an external threat occurred did the different tribes politically unite, as happened at the time of the Roman conquest of their territory when Viriathus became the single leader of the Lusitanian tribes. Punicus , Caucenus and Caesarus were other important Lusitanian chiefs before

2652-537: Was surrounded by a detachment of pursuing cavalry. The lone warrior pierced the horse of one of the riders with his spear, and with a blow of his sword cut off the Roman’s head, producing such terror among the others that they prudently retired under his arrogant and contemptuous gaze." In times of peace, they had a particular style of dancing, which required great agility and nimbleness of the legs and thighs. In times of war, they marched in time, until they were ready to charge

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2704-419: Was the god of public health and safety. The goddess Ataegina was especially popular in the south; as the goddess of rebirth (spring), fertility, nature, and cure, she was identified with Proserpina during the Roman era. Lusitanian mythology was heavily influenced by or related to Celtic mythology . Also well attested in inscriptions are the names Bandua (one of the variants of Borvo ) often with

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