Castelo Branco, Portugal - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The city of Castelo Branco is made up of one parish with a population of 30,649.

It is located in Castelo Branco Municipality in Castelo Branco District.

History and landmarks

Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman castrum or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca, on the summit of the hill of Colina da Cardosa. The population grew on the slopes of this hill.

Little is known of the history before 1182. There is, nevertheless, a document, from this date, mentioning the donation to the Templars

Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...

of a piece of land called Vila Franca da Cardosa, by a noble Fernandes Sanches. In 1213 it received its autonomy or foral and the name Castel-Branco appears for the first time. Pope Innocent III

Pope Innocent III

Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....

confirmed this in 1215 giving it the name of Castelobranco.

It was around this time that the Templars built the walls and the castle.

In 1510 a new foral was conceded by Manuel I

Manuel I of Portugal

Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...

and in 1642 the town acquired the status of Vila de Castelo Branco. In 1771 Castelo Branco became a city and Pope Clement XIV created the diocese of Castelo Branco in 1881.

In 1858 a telegraph line was opened between Abrantes

Abrantes

Abrantes is a municipality in Portugal, with a population of 41,560 inhabitants, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River.-History:...

and Castelo Branco and in 1860 the city received its first public lighting. In 1959 it became capital of the district of the same name.

The most important monument in Castelo Branco is the Jardim do Paço Episcopal (Garden of the Episcopal Palace). It is one of the most beautiful baroque gardens in Portugal and contains statues of allegories, kings and zodiacal signs, arranged around ponds, terraces and staircases.

Economy

The city is home to Centauro a company which produces industrial coolers, refrigerators and freezers. The Portuguese subsidiary of Danone has a factory in Castelo Branco which produces Danone's dairy products for the entire Iberian Peninsula

Iberian Peninsula

The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...

. The district of Castelo Branco is also famed for the Castelo Branco cheese

Castelo Branco cheese

Castelo Branco is a cheese named after the city of the same name in Portugal, the chief city of the district where it is produced. The cheese is made from milk produced by either a goat or a ewe, and has a soft texture. Typically, the cheese takes 40 days to mature when made with goat's milk, and...

.

Delphi Packard is a major factory and the principal employer, with more than 1000 workers. The Factory makes automobile component for the most important automobile constructors like Ferrari.

Commercial centers in Castelo Branco (Alegro and Fórum)

Education

Castelo Branco is home to the Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, a state-run polytechnic

Polytechnic (Portugal)

A polytechnic is a higher education educational institution in Portugal created in the 1980s. After 1998 they were upgraded to institutions which are allowed to confer licenciatura degrees. Before then, they only awarded short-cycle degrees which were known as bacharelatos and didn't provide...

institute of higher education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

, comprising schools of agriculture, technology, management, education, art and health.

Transportation

Railways:

Castelo Branco is located at km. 93 of Beira Baixa Railway Line which runs from Entroncamento

Entroncamento

Entroncamento is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 13.8 km² and a total population of 21,751 inhabitantsThe municipality is composed of 2 civil parishes, contains an important railway junction, and is located in Santarém District....

to Guarda

Guarda, Portugal

Guarda is a city in Guarda Municipality, Portugal. The city has a population of 32 111Guarda was founded in 1199 by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I....

via Abrantes

Abrantes

Abrantes is a municipality in Portugal, with a population of 41,560 inhabitants, located on the southern margin of the Tagus River.-History:...

, Castelo Branco, Fundão

Fundão

Fundão is a city in Fundao Municipality in Portugal, located in the Castelo Branco District. Fundão is an old city with 8,369 inhabitants, situated at the point where the slope of the Gardunha range meets the Cova da Beira plains, 500 metres above sea level. The municipality has a total area of...

and Covilhã

Covilhã

Covilhã is a city in Covilha Municipality in Centro region, Portugal. The city proper has 36,723 inhabitants, and the municipality has an area of 555.6 km² with a total population of 53,501, being composed of 31 parishes. It is located in the Cova da Beira subregion, in the district of...

. Rail services are operated by CP - Comboios de Portugal
Comboios de Portugal
thumb|250px|right|CP suburban trains at São Bento Station in Oporto.CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE is a state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains in Portugal...

(Portuguese Trains) and consist of stopping trains (Regionais) to Entroncamento

Entroncamento

and Lisbon

Lisbon

Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...

and to Covilhã

Covilhã

and Guarda

Guarda, Portugal

Guarda is a city in Guarda Municipality, Portugal. The city has a population of 32 111Guarda was founded in 1199 by the second king of Portugal, Sancho I....

, and fast trains (Intercidades) to Lisbon

Lisbon

and to Covilhã

Covilhã

.
South of Castelo Branco, to Lisbon

Lisbon

, services are operated by electric locomotives and trainsets and north, to Covilhã

Covilhã

, trains are operated by diesel locomotives and motorcars.

Notable natives

Amato Lusitano
Amato Lusitano
João Rodrigues de Castelo Branco, better known as Amato Lusitano and Amatus Lusitanus , was a notable Portuguese Jewish physician of the 16th century. Like Herophilus, Galen, Ibn al-Nafis, Michael Servetus, Realdo Colombo and William Harvey, he is credited as making a discovery in the circulation...

, a physician credited as one of the first discoverers of the circulation of the blood, was born here in 1511.
Eugénia Lima, famous accordionist of Portugal, was born in Castelo Branco in 1926.
João Filipe Fazendas Vaz, sports journalist well known in Spain for his analysis and knowledge of football Lusophone.

Places of interest

Hotel Rainha D. Amélia *** located in R. Santiago 15 and
Hotel Tryp Colina Do Castelo *** located in R. da Piscina
City's Park
City's Garden
Museum
Castle

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