Foz do Arelho
Encyclopedia
Foz do Arelho is one of the sixteen civil parishes
(freguesia
s) that make up the municipality
(município
or concelho
) of Caldas da Rainha
, Portugal
. The parish has an area of 9.4 km² and 1,223 residents.
By South is delimited by the ocean basin of Lagoa de Óbidos (Óbidos Lagoon) and the parish of Nadadouro. East by the limits between the parishes of Serra do Bouro and Nadadouro and West by the ocean basin of Lagoa de Óbidos and the Atlantic Ocean.
Quinta de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe is an ancient manor house and farm, dated back to the 16th century. It includes a chapel, built in 1580 which can be seen, engraved in stone over the main entrance door, the chapel also has a stone bearing the "Medeiros" arms. Inside there is a polychromatic wood sculpture, dated back to the 16th century, representing N. Sra. do Carmo.
Foz do Arelho has several magnificent beach spots between the confluence of lagoa de Óbidos and the Atlantic Ocean. One can choose between swimming and sailing in the calm warm waters of the salt water lagoon, or surf and swim in the colder waters of the Atlantic.
Parish (subnational entity)
A parish is an administrative division used by several countries. In the British Isles it is known as a civil parish to distinguish it from the ecclesiastical parish.-External links:* Editorial in The Guardian, 2011-05-16....
(freguesia
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
s) that make up the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(município
Municipalities of Portugal
In Portugal, municipality or concelho is the most stable subdivision of Portugal since the foundation of the country.Portugal has an entirely separate system of cities and towns. Cities and towns are located in municipalities, but often do not have the same boundaries, even if built-up is continuous...
or concelho
Concelho
Concelho , in the Portuguese language, is the word municipality, when referring to the territory. The word município is used when municipality means the organ of State...
) of Caldas da Rainha
Caldas da Rainha
Caldas da Rainha is a city in western central Portugal. The city serves as the seat of the larger municipality of the same name and is the seat of the Comunidade Intermunicipal do Oeste...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. The parish has an area of 9.4 km² and 1,223 residents.
Geographic situation
Foz do Arelho is located 8 km west of Caldas da Rainha, in the Northwest end of the council, and is limited north by the Atlantic Ocean and by the parish of Serra do Bouro.By South is delimited by the ocean basin of Lagoa de Óbidos (Óbidos Lagoon) and the parish of Nadadouro. East by the limits between the parishes of Serra do Bouro and Nadadouro and West by the ocean basin of Lagoa de Óbidos and the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Foz do Arelho started as being a small village belonging to the parish of Serra do Bouro, and was promoted to the category of parish in July the 5th, 1919. As far as it can be remembered, Foz do Arelho was always a seasonal vacation resort, chosen by the elite families. Worthy of notice, is the wealthy businessman Francisco Almeida Grandela, which promoted several local activities, such as schools, etc… which helped to develop the region, and increased the life-quality of the local inhabitants.Area and demography
The parish of Foz do Arelho as a total area of 9.4 km² on which live 1,223 inhabitants. Most of the local inhabitants work in industry and services in Caldas da Rainha, but there is also a considerable number dedicated to touristy activities, seafood fishing (bivalve molluscs), and agriculture.Landmarks
Foz do Arelho has several magnificent beach spots between the confluence of lagoa de Óbidos and the Atlantic Ocean. One can choose between swimming and sailing in the calm warm waters of the salt water lagoon, or surf and swim in the colder waters of the Atlantic.