Horta (Azores)
Encyclopedia
Horta (ˈɔɾtɐ) is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores
, encompassing the island of Faial
. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people (2011 census) and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer. The city of Horta itself has a population of about 7,000.
The city contains the Horta Regional Museum which has a permanent exhibit, Exhibition of Capelinhos Volcano, that details in photographs the recent (1957) volcanic eruption in the Azores. The museum also contains a large collection of scale models of buildings, ships, and people carved from fig
kernels carved by Euclides Rosa.
The marina is a primary stop for yacht
s crossing the Atlantic
, and its walls, and walkways are covered in paintings created by visitors who noted the names of their vessels, crews, and the years they visited. Peter Cafe Sport across from the marina houses the island's scrimshaw
museum; a collection of hundreds of pieces of scrimshaw work carved on whale tooth and jawbone.
returned to Faial on a second expedition, this time disembarking along the shore of what would be known as Horta bay. He had a small chapel built, that would later form the nucleus of a small community known as Horta (a name derived from the transliteration of his name). The infante D. Fernando, Duke of Viseu, granted Huerter the first captaincy
of the island on February 2, 1468. But, the settlement of the island was not chiefly by flemish
peasantry or business interests. In fact, generally, settlers to the island were from hard-working farmers from continental Portugal, willing to work hard in new lands, from a cross-section of northern Portugal. But, Huerter cultivated new business opportunities, attracting a second wave of settlers under the stewardship of Willem van der Haegen
(later transliterated to Guilherme da Silveira), who brought administrators, tradesmen, settlers and other compatriots to settle on the island.
Huerter's son, Joss de Utra (who would become the second Captain-General), and daughter, D. Joana de Macedo (who married Martin Behaim
at the Santa Cruz chapel) continued on Faial, long after van Huerter’s death. By 1498, Horta was elevated to the status of vila (analogous to a town) by decree of King D. Manuel I
, as its center grew north from the area around the small chapel of Santa Cruz. The island prospered with exports of wheat
and woad
. On June 28, 1514 the parish of Matriz do São Salvador da Horta was constituted and services were begun. In 1567, the cornerstone of what would be the Fort of Santa Cruz was laid. The constant growth of the settlers in the villa compelled the creation of the parishes of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (July 30, 1568) and Nossa Senhora da Angustias (November 28, 1684) by the diocese
of Angra
. As two nuclei developed around Santa Cruz and Porto Pim, growth had also extended around the older Matriz (where the Tower Clock now stands) and the public square (where Alameda Barão de Roches now exists). Public buildings were erected between Rua Visconde Leite Perry and Rua Arriage Nunes, and eventually the town hall and the court offices moved to the former Jesuit College, after the Jesuits
were expelled from Portugal in 1758.
In 1583, Spanish soldiers under the command of D. Pedro de Toledo landed in Pasteleiro in the southwestern part of the island. After some skirmishes at the doors of the fort, the Captain of Faial, António Guedes de Sousa, was executed. Four years later, the Earl of Cumberland
commanding a fleet of 13 British ships captured a Spanish ship, and then plundered the town's churches and convents, profaning them and destroying reliquary and crucifixes. They captured several artillery pieces and set fire to the houses within the Fort of Santa Cruz. Two cannons, located in Porto Pim, were missed. In 1597, a new force
, under Sir Walter Raleigh
, second in command to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex
, sacked and burned the religious buildings and churches in Horta, as well as the neighboring parishes of Flamengos
, Feteira
and Praia do Almoxarife
. The constant threat of privateers and pirates forced the construction of several forts and lookouts.
In 1643, Horta had about 2579 inhabitants and 610 homes.
D. Frei Lourenço, the Bishop of Angra, authorized the renovation of the chapel of Santa Cruz in 1675. In 1688, the final renovations and ornamentation of the church were realized.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Horta was a small town that extended along the shoreline. It was peppered by various convents and churches, but little commerce and almost no industry. But, luckily due to its location, it prospered as a stopover on important commercial routes between Europe and the New World
. For a time, Horta was a center of commerce and travel. It was a gateway for Azorean orange growing, and the port for the export of wine from Pico Island
, as well as an important stop for North American whalers, and later as a refueling port for coal-powered ships during their transatlantic passages.
On July 4, 1833, the vila, through the initiative of the Duke d'Ávila and Bolama
, was elevated to the status of city and the district capital, as a reward for the support that the people of the island had given to the Liberalist
forces during the Portuguese Liberal Revolution
. The city hall's coat of arms, by decree, was granted to promote “My Loyal City of Horta” by King Luis I
on May 3, 1865.
s, the Verdelho wine from Pico, and the commerce of the whaling industry.
On September 26, 1814, the American privateer
brig "General Armstrong", under the command of Captain Samuel Chester Reid
, was sunk by three ships of the British Royal Navy
under the command of Robert Lloyd. After being forced to scuttle his ship, Captain Reid made a formal protest over the ships destruction in a neutral port, and the incapacity of the Portuguese to defend their own waters. Her principal piece of naval artillery
, the cannon "Long Tom", was later recovered from Horta Bay. It was eventually offered to General Batcheller, the U.S. Minister in Lisbon
, in compensation. Interestingly, General Batcheller returned to Horta to pick up the cannon to deliver it to New York City
on board the ship USS Vega
(on or about April 18, 1893).
In the semi-autobiographical story The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain, painted a more disparaging picture of Horta and Faial, at the time:
With construction of the commercial port in 1876, Horta became more important internationally. On August 23, 1893 the first telegraph cables linking Horta (Alagoa) and Lisbon (Carcavelos) made Horta a link in transatlantic communication. The location and presence of several cable companies on Horta had the cumulative affect of increasing the activity, the level of economic development and urban growth, as well as cultural and sporting activities on the island. Between 1893 and 1969, Horta was an important post in intercontinental communications.
, via the plane, when he piloted his NC-4
floatplane
into the Bay of Horta in May 1919.
In 1921, Dutch seagoing tugboat
s began to use Horta as a stopover (and after World War II
, they returned during the period of European reconstruction).
After 1939, Horta was a scheduled waypoint on the transatlantic flying boat
routes between North America
and Europe
, that included the Pan Am Clipper fleet, which docked in Horta harbour.
By 1960, yachts started using Horta’s sheltered port during transatlantic voyages.
On 24 August 1971, in the civil parish of Castelo Branco, President
, Américo Tomás inaugurated the Horta Airport
. Since 1972, the Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aeréos (which was the forerunner of SATA Air Azores
) has provided scheduled flights from Horta to the islands of the triangle (Central Group). During the 1980s, TAP Air Portugal, the national flag carrier
, established direct service from Horta to Lisbon
, while further fleet improvements allowed SATA to directly link Horta with all islands. Following major renovations in December 2001, the airport was given the designation as an international airport
, although no foreign airlines have scheduled or charter flights arriving at Horta airport.
The improvements in Horta harbour allowed the city to become a stopover for yachts, cruise ships and provide ongoing assistance to transatlantic voyagers. This was facilitated when the municipal authority inaugurated a 300-slip marina
on 3 June 1986, but also, since Horta harbour is a fleet centre for the island ferries Transmaçor and Atlanticoline, it has resulted in new investments and the construction of a secondary pier for inter-island passenger traffic.
Three parishes comprise the urban area of the city of Horta (the urbanized area and historical center): Angústias
, Conceição
, and Matriz
. The remaining parishes comprising the rest of the municipality are located along the Regional E.R.1-1ª road network, and includes lands from the ocean to the central volcano (with the exception of Flamengos, which is the only landlocked parish):
In 2011, the national census discovered a resident population of 15,038: a slight decrease from the 2001 population (15,063 inhabitants). Yet, the number of aggregate families grew significantly (4795 to 5465 families reporting their participation in such groups), an increase from 2.8 to 3.1 people per family. Similarly, there has been a 21.69% increase in the number occupied buildings within the municipality.
From Espalamaca or Monte da Guia, the city of Horta is typical of insular Portuguese coastal communities and the urban tradition of the medieval-renaissance. The city is seaward looking, much like Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) or Velas (São Jorge) and populated by several volcanic cones located to its southern and eastern margins (the most predominant being Monte da Guaia, Monte do Carneiro and Monte Escuro). It is a population center that is centered along its principal avenue (sometimes referred to as either Avenida Marginal or Avenida D. Infante Henriques), and cut by several smaller roadways. But, its proto-urban form lies in the north near Espalamaca, with a grouping of north-south and east-west roads that developed from the initial colonization. The Horta of today grew from streets such as:
These streets formed from the central colony, along hills parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the ocean. Littoral growth was made cautiously until the town square, civic center, town hall, and local water wells had been built along the seashore, growing out in both directions. The religious institutions generally mark the extent of the urbanized/rural limits (just as the Convent of Monte Carmo and Convent of the Capuchos do today to the northeast).
Modern Horta grew beyond the limits of this early colonization. A secondary nucleus grew in the area of Port Pim, and infilling occurred sporadically until a crescent form along the banks of the east coast developed, only contained by Ponte de Espalamaca to the north and the open sea to the south. The cinder cones in the south likely protected settlers and ships from the north Atlantic weather systems, sheltering colonists during the formative period. Horta grew slowly into the river valleys to the interior, linking the parishes of Flamengos to the west and Feteiras (the southwest) forming an incomplete urbanized mass. The nodes of growth basically follow the road network, including the recently completed "Scute" (freeway) that bypasses the southern E.R.1-1ª between Angustias and Feteiras.
with:
Porto Alegre
, Rio Grande do Sul
, Brazil
Fremont, California
, United States
, oranges, whale oil
and Pico
Verdelho wines were the products that historically built the economy of the island. Many of the landed gentry concentrated their shops, production facilities and homes in the city, while agricultural goods were shipped to the city before being sent on to Europe or North America. For a long time, the island of Pico was an exclave of Horta (with summer homes, parcels and herds owned by residents of Faial) until its emancipation on 8 March 1723.
After the failure of the economic cycles, through boom-and-bust economies (brought on by weather, disease or market deviation) the city of Horta became a staging point for the transatlantic shipment, firstly for the whaling fleets, but then later by the submarine cable companies that laid the communication lines from Europe to North America. These spurts of growth concentrated the population, political and economic classes within Horta and economic activities on Faial.
Horta today is polarized between the same dichotomy that existed between the hinter- and heartlands, with most primary economic activities (agricultural mostly) dispersed into the parishes, while the secondary and tertiary activities are concentrated in the three main parishes (Angústias, Conceição and Matriz). In addition, the prosperity of the early 20th century, concentrated on the transatlantic traffic, has developed into a tourist-oriented economy concentrated on the architecture, geographic, leisure and socio-cultural aspects of the island. This includes sightseeing tours and whale-watching expeditions that depart from the city, the arrival of semi-weekly cruise ships during the summer and cultural festivals that unite the local parishes and visitors throughout the year.
visited Horta in June 1867, near the beginning of a long pleasure excursion to Jerusalem. He described his visit, with acerbic commentary on the people and culture of Horta, in The Innocents Abroad. Similarly, Joshua Slocum
, sailing the Spray
, stopped in Horta on the first leg of his solo circumnavigation
, which he chronicled in his 1899 book "Sailing Alone Around the World
."
In works by Vitorino Nemésio
(O Corsário das Ilhas), Raul Brandão
(As ilhas Desconhecidas), the island is characterized as a focus of the story, while Jules Verne
mentioned Horta in descriptions to his fiction tales.
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, encompassing the island of Faial
Faial Island
Faial Island , also known in English as Fayal, is a Portuguese island of the Central Group of the Azores....
. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people (2011 census) and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer. The city of Horta itself has a population of about 7,000.
The city contains the Horta Regional Museum which has a permanent exhibit, Exhibition of Capelinhos Volcano, that details in photographs the recent (1957) volcanic eruption in the Azores. The museum also contains a large collection of scale models of buildings, ships, and people carved from fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
kernels carved by Euclides Rosa.
The marina is a primary stop for yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s crossing the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
, and its walls, and walkways are covered in paintings created by visitors who noted the names of their vessels, crews, and the years they visited. Peter Cafe Sport across from the marina houses the island's scrimshaw
Scrimshaw
Scrimshaw is the name given to handiwork created by whalers made from the byproducts of harvesting marine mammals. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth of sperm whales, the baleen of other whales, and the tusks of walruses...
museum; a collection of hundreds of pieces of scrimshaw work carved on whale tooth and jawbone.
History
In 1467, the Flemish nobleman Josse van HuerterJosse van Huerter
Josse van Huerter , also known by several transliterations was the first settler, and captain-major of the island of Faial in the Portuguese Azores. After 1482, the island of Pico was also incorporated into his captaincy...
returned to Faial on a second expedition, this time disembarking along the shore of what would be known as Horta bay. He had a small chapel built, that would later form the nucleus of a small community known as Horta (a name derived from the transliteration of his name). The infante D. Fernando, Duke of Viseu, granted Huerter the first captaincy
Captaincy
A captaincy is a historical administrative division of the former Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires. Each was governed by a captain general.-In the Portuguese Empire:...
of the island on February 2, 1468. But, the settlement of the island was not chiefly by flemish
Flemish
Flemish can refer to anything related to Flanders, and may refer directly to the following articles:*Flemish, an informal, though linguistically incorrect, name of any kind of the Dutch language as spoken in Belgium....
peasantry or business interests. In fact, generally, settlers to the island were from hard-working farmers from continental Portugal, willing to work hard in new lands, from a cross-section of northern Portugal. But, Huerter cultivated new business opportunities, attracting a second wave of settlers under the stewardship of Willem van der Haegen
Willem van der Haegen
Willem van der Haegen, at times Willelm van der Hagen or Willelm van der Haagen , transliterated to the Portuguese as Guilherme da Silveira , was a Flemish nobleman, entrepreneur, explorer and pioneer in the settlement of the islands of the...
(later transliterated to Guilherme da Silveira), who brought administrators, tradesmen, settlers and other compatriots to settle on the island.
Huerter's son, Joss de Utra (who would become the second Captain-General), and daughter, D. Joana de Macedo (who married Martin Behaim
Martin Behaim
Martin Behaim , was a German mariner, artist, cosmographer, astronomer, philosopher, geographer and explorer in service to the King of Portugal.-Biography:The Behaim family had immigrated to Nuremberg because of religious persecution around...
at the Santa Cruz chapel) continued on Faial, long after van Huerter’s death. By 1498, Horta was elevated to the status of vila (analogous to a town) by decree of King D. 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...
, as its center grew north from the area around the small chapel of Santa Cruz. The island prospered with exports of wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and woad
Woad
Isatis tinctoria, with Woad as the common name, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is commonly called dyer's woad, and sometimes incorrectly listed as Isatis indigotica . It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem...
. On June 28, 1514 the parish of Matriz do São Salvador da Horta was constituted and services were begun. In 1567, the cornerstone of what would be the Fort of Santa Cruz was laid. The constant growth of the settlers in the villa compelled the creation of the parishes of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (July 30, 1568) and Nossa Senhora da Angustias (November 28, 1684) by the diocese
Roman Catholic Diocese of Angra
The Roman Catholic diocese of Angra is in the Azores, Portugal. The episcopal see of the Azores, created in 1534 by Pope Paul III, has a bishop who is a suffragan of the patriarch of Lisbon, Cardinal José da Cruz Policarpo, of the archdiocese of Lisbon. It was vacant from 1637 to 1671...
of Angra
Angra do Heroísmo
Angra do Heroísmo , locally referred to as Angra, is a municipality and city on the island of Terceira, within the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. The municipal area has a population of 35,581 and an area of . Along with Praia da Vitória to the north, it is one of two municipal...
. As two nuclei developed around Santa Cruz and Porto Pim, growth had also extended around the older Matriz (where the Tower Clock now stands) and the public square (where Alameda Barão de Roches now exists). Public buildings were erected between Rua Visconde Leite Perry and Rua Arriage Nunes, and eventually the town hall and the court offices moved to the former Jesuit College, after the Jesuits
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
were expelled from Portugal in 1758.
In 1583, Spanish soldiers under the command of D. Pedro de Toledo landed in Pasteleiro in the southwestern part of the island. After some skirmishes at the doors of the fort, the Captain of Faial, António Guedes de Sousa, was executed. Four years later, the Earl of Cumberland
George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland
Sir George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, KG was an English peer, as well as a naval commander and courtier in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.-Background:...
commanding a fleet of 13 British ships captured a Spanish ship, and then plundered the town's churches and convents, profaning them and destroying reliquary and crucifixes. They captured several artillery pieces and set fire to the houses within the Fort of Santa Cruz. Two cannons, located in Porto Pim, were missed. In 1597, a new force
Islands Voyage
The Islands Voyage was an English campaign against the Portuguese colonies in the Azores in 1597 as part of the Anglo–Spanish War. It was led by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex with Sir Walter Raleigh as his second in command - other participants included Jacob Astley and Robert Mansell...
, under Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
, second in command to Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
, sacked and burned the religious buildings and churches in Horta, as well as the neighboring parishes of Flamengos
Flamengos
Flamengos is a Portuguese civil parish on the island of Faial in the archipelago of the Azores. Its name was derived from the grouping of Flemish settlers who made their homes in this landlocked valley, in the municipality of Horta...
, Feteira
Feteira (Horta)
Feteira is a civil parish in the southern part of the municipality of Horta, on the island of Faial in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 1,612, its density is 110.3/km² and the area is 14.62 km²...
and Praia do Almoxarife
Praia do Almoxarife
Located in the municipality of Horta, Praia do Almoxarife is a civil parish of the archipelago of the Portuguese Azores. Ironically, for its history , its population has not grown significantly since it was settled...
. The constant threat of privateers and pirates forced the construction of several forts and lookouts.
In 1643, Horta had about 2579 inhabitants and 610 homes.
D. Frei Lourenço, the Bishop of Angra, authorized the renovation of the chapel of Santa Cruz in 1675. In 1688, the final renovations and ornamentation of the church were realized.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Horta was a small town that extended along the shoreline. It was peppered by various convents and churches, but little commerce and almost no industry. But, luckily due to its location, it prospered as a stopover on important commercial routes between Europe and the New World
New World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
. For a time, Horta was a center of commerce and travel. It was a gateway for Azorean orange growing, and the port for the export of wine from Pico Island
Pico Island
Pico Island , is an island in the Central Group of the Portuguese Azores noted for its eponymous volcano, Ponta do Pico, which is the highest mountain in Portugal, the Azores, and the highest elevation of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge...
, as well as an important stop for North American whalers, and later as a refueling port for coal-powered ships during their transatlantic passages.
On July 4, 1833, the vila, through the initiative of the Duke d'Ávila and Bolama
António José de Ávila, 1st Duke of Ávila and Bolama
António José de Ávila was a Portuguese politician, mayor of the city of Horta, on the island of Faial, in the Azores, Civil Governor of the same, Peer-of-the-Realm, Minister of State, and later Ambassador to Spain....
, was elevated to the status of city and the district capital, as a reward for the support that the people of the island had given to the Liberalist
Liberal Wars
The Liberal Wars, also known as the Portuguese Civil War, the War of the Two Brothers, or Miguelite War, was a war between progressive constitutionalists and authoritarian absolutists in Portugal over royal succession that lasted from 1828 to 1834...
forces during the Portuguese Liberal Revolution
Liberal Revolution of 1820
The Liberal Revolution of 1820 was a political revolution that erupted in 1820 and lasted until 1826. It was unchained via a military insurrection in the city of Porto, in northern Portugal, that quickly and peacefully spread to the rest of the country. From 1807 to 1811 Napoleonic French forces...
. The city hall's coat of arms, by decree, was granted to promote “My Loyal City of Horta” by King Luis I
Luís I of Portugal
|-...
on May 3, 1865.
19th Century
In 1804 John Bass Dabney (1766–1826), the U.S. Consul General in the Azores, married Roxanne Lewis, and moved to a home in Horta. His son, Charles William Dabney (who would later marry Francis Alsop Pomeroy) who succeeded his father in this position, was to play an important part in the history and economy of Horta and Faial. This was helped by the construction of a commercial port (1876) and the installation of transatlantic telegraph cables (1893). The Dabney family steered the island's economy for 83 years, with good effect on the dynamic growth of the port, the export of orangeOrange (fruit)
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....
s, the Verdelho wine from Pico, and the commerce of the whaling industry.
On September 26, 1814, the American privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
brig "General Armstrong", under the command of Captain Samuel Chester Reid
Samuel Chester Reid
Samuel Chester Reid was an officer in the United States Navy who commanded a privateer during the War of 1812. He is also noted for having helped design the 1818 version of the flag of the United States, which first established the rule of keeping thirteen stripes and adding one star for each U.S...
, was sunk by three ships of the British Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
under the command of Robert Lloyd. After being forced to scuttle his ship, Captain Reid made a formal protest over the ships destruction in a neutral port, and the incapacity of the Portuguese to defend their own waters. Her principal piece of naval artillery
Naval artillery
Naval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...
, the cannon "Long Tom", was later recovered from Horta Bay. It was eventually offered to General Batcheller, the U.S. Minister in 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...
, in compensation. Interestingly, General Batcheller returned to Horta to pick up the cannon to deliver it to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on board the ship USS Vega
USS Vega
USS Vega may refer to:, was a steel-hulled, steam yacht built in 1907; acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I and sold in 1921, a single-screw, steel-hulled freighter built in 1919 and scrapped in 1946...
(on or about April 18, 1893).
In the semi-autobiographical story The Innocents Abroad, Mark Twain, painted a more disparaging picture of Horta and Faial, at the time:
- The group on the pier was a rusty one — men and women, and boys and girls, all ragged, and barefoot, uncombed and unclean, and by instinct, education, and profession, beggars. They trooped after us, and never more, while we tarred in Fayal, did we get rid of them. We walked up the middle of the principal street, and these vermin surrounded us on all sides, and glared upon us; and every moment excited couples shot ahead of the procession to get a good look back, just as village boys do when they accompany the elephant on his advertising trip from street to street.
- The community is eminently Portuguese — that is to say, it is slow, poor, shiftless, sleepy, and lazy. There is a civil governor, appointed by the King of Portugal; and also a military governor, who can assume supreme control and suspend the civil government at his pleasure. [...] there is one assistant superintendent to feed the mill and a general superintendent to stand by and keep him from going to sleep...There is not a wheelbarrow in the land [...] There is not a modern plow in the islands, or a threshing-machine. All attempts to introduce them have failed. The good Catholic Portuguese crossed himself and prayed God to shield him from all blasphemous desire to know more than his father did before him. [...] The people lie, and cheat the stranger, and are desperately ignorant, and have hardly any reverence for their dead. The latter trait shows how little better they are than the donkeys they eat and sleep with.
With construction of the commercial port in 1876, Horta became more important internationally. On August 23, 1893 the first telegraph cables linking Horta (Alagoa) and Lisbon (Carcavelos) made Horta a link in transatlantic communication. The location and presence of several cable companies on Horta had the cumulative affect of increasing the activity, the level of economic development and urban growth, as well as cultural and sporting activities on the island. Between 1893 and 1969, Horta was an important post in intercontinental communications.
20th Century
Horta also entered into aviation history, when Captain Albert C. Read (U.S. Navy) completed the first Atlantic leg of the first transatlantic flightTransatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
, via the plane, when he piloted his NC-4
NC-4
The NC-4 was a Curtiss NC flying boat which was designed by Glenn Curtiss and his team, and manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. In May 1919, the NC-4 became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, starting in the United States and making the crossing as far as Lisbon,...
floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
into the Bay of Horta in May 1919.
In 1921, Dutch seagoing tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
s began to use Horta as a stopover (and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, they returned during the period of European reconstruction).
After 1939, Horta was a scheduled waypoint on the transatlantic flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
routes between North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, that included the Pan Am Clipper fleet, which docked in Horta harbour.
By 1960, yachts started using Horta’s sheltered port during transatlantic voyages.
On 24 August 1971, in the civil parish of Castelo Branco, President
President of Portugal
Portugal has been a republic since 1910, and since that time the head of state has been the president, whose official title is President of the Portuguese Republic ....
, Américo Tomás inaugurated the Horta Airport
Horta Airport
-External links:*...
. Since 1972, the Sociedade Açoreana de Transportes Aeréos (which was the forerunner of SATA Air Azores
SATA Air Acores
SATA Air Açores is an airline based in Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal. It operates scheduled passenger, cargo and mail services around the Azores. It provides its own maintenance and handling services and manages 4 regional airports...
) has provided scheduled flights from Horta to the islands of the triangle (Central Group). During the 1980s, TAP Air Portugal, the national flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
, established direct service from Horta to 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...
, while further fleet improvements allowed SATA to directly link Horta with all islands. Following major renovations in December 2001, the airport was given the designation as an international airport
International airport
An international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
, although no foreign airlines have scheduled or charter flights arriving at Horta airport.
The improvements in Horta harbour allowed the city to become a stopover for yachts, cruise ships and provide ongoing assistance to transatlantic voyagers. This was facilitated when the municipal authority inaugurated a 300-slip marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
on 3 June 1986, but also, since Horta harbour is a fleet centre for the island ferries Transmaçor and Atlanticoline, it has resulted in new investments and the construction of a secondary pier for inter-island passenger traffic.
Climate
Human geography
Angústias
Angústias is one of the three civil parishes that form the city of Horta, on the island of Faial in the archipelago of the Azores. This is an economically active, densely-populated area with the second-smallest area , but with the largest population in the municipality of Horta...
, Conceição
Conceição (Horta)
Conceição is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta in the Portuguese Azores. In 2001 it counted a population of 1157 inhabitants with territorial limits of 2.74 km² between Espalamaca and the parish of Matriz in Horta, although it is the second smallest parish within the administration...
, and Matriz
Matriz (Horta)
Matriz is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta, in the Portuguese Azores, which is part of the urbanized core of the city of Horta. In 2001, its population was 2523, in an area approximately 1.62 km² ; it is the smallest parish, densest and second-most populous parish on the...
. The remaining parishes comprising the rest of the municipality are located along the Regional E.R.1-1ª road network, and includes lands from the ocean to the central volcano (with the exception of Flamengos, which is the only landlocked parish):
- CapeloCapeloCapelo is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Azorean archipelago. The population as of 2001 was approximately 493, its density is 19/km² and the area is 25.93 km²...
- located in the western portion of the island that includes the most recent historic volcanism on the island; location of the Capelinhos Volcano and Recreational Forest Park. - Castelo BrancoCastelo Branco (Horta)Castelo Branco is the southern civil parish on the island Faial, in the Azores; part of the municipality of Horta. This agricultural community is primarily known for the location of the Central Group's first airport, Horta Airport.-History:...
- located on the southern coastal area between Capelo and Feteiras; location of Horta International Airport. - CedrosCedros (Horta)Cedros is a civil parish in the northern part of the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Portuguese Azores. The population as of 2001 was approximately 1048, covering an area of 24.53 km²...
- largest civil parish and agricultural lands, located on the northern coast between Capelo and Salão - FeteiraFeteira (Horta)Feteira is a civil parish in the southern part of the municipality of Horta, on the island of Faial in the Azores. The population in 2001 is 1,612, its density is 110.3/km² and the area is 14.62 km²...
- southern parish located between the urbanized core of Horta and Castelo Branco; primarily agricultural activities in transition into suburban community of Horta. - FlamengosFlamengosFlamengos is a Portuguese civil parish on the island of Faial in the archipelago of the Azores. Its name was derived from the grouping of Flemish settlers who made their homes in this landlocked valley, in the municipality of Horta...
- the only landlocked civil parish on the island, established by original settlers from the low countries of Europe. - Pedro MiguelPedro MiguelPedro Miguel is a parish in the northeastern part of the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores. Pedro Miguel is located 6 km north of the city of Horta on the main regional road that encircles the island...
- located to the north of Praia do Almoxarife, along the eastern coast - Praia do AlmoxarifePraia do AlmoxarifeLocated in the municipality of Horta, Praia do Almoxarife is a civil parish of the archipelago of the Portuguese Azores. Ironically, for its history , its population has not grown significantly since it was settled...
- original settlers disembarked along the beach of Praia do Almoxarife during the original 1465 and 1467 expeditions; currently the main tourist beach community on the island. - Praia do NortePraia do NortePraia do Norte is a civil parish of the municipality of Horta, located along the northern coast between Cedros and Capelo, on the island of Faial, Azores. It is one of the least populous parishes on the island, reaching 712 inhabitants in the 18th century, but generally about 250 people. It is...
- located between Cedros and Capelo, a zone affected by historic volcanism from the Capelo Volcanic Complex. - RibeirinhaRibeirinha (Horta)Ribeirinha is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. In 2001 the population was approximately 439, in an area of 11.27 km² . It is one of the northern parishes along Regional Road E.R. 1-1ª, linking the city of Horta to the rest of the island...
- a civil parish occuping the ancient geological zone that formed the island of Faial. - SalãoSalãoSalão is a civil parish in the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial, the Portuguese Azores. The population in 2001 was 436 inhabitants, covering an area of 11.8 km2; the parish is the least populated on the island.-History:...
- settled by Spanish during the Iberian Union, and located between Cedros and Ribeirinha.
In 2011, the national census discovered a resident population of 15,038: a slight decrease from the 2001 population (15,063 inhabitants). Yet, the number of aggregate families grew significantly (4795 to 5465 families reporting their participation in such groups), an increase from 2.8 to 3.1 people per family. Similarly, there has been a 21.69% increase in the number occupied buildings within the municipality.
City of Horta
- "I love Horta like loquats! I had a longing of what was, I don't know how, of here. Everything imagined is more or less frustrated when we comprehend: but in Horta, no, it is exceeded. At the end of the Rua do Mar are the built-up homes; over the unique celebretated road of the town are the alleyways that descend to the coast and provide a modest contribution to the fires and transit." (Vitorino Nemésio, O Corsário das Ilhas)
From Espalamaca or Monte da Guia, the city of Horta is typical of insular Portuguese coastal communities and the urban tradition of the medieval-renaissance. The city is seaward looking, much like Angra do Heroísmo (Terceira) or Velas (São Jorge) and populated by several volcanic cones located to its southern and eastern margins (the most predominant being Monte da Guaia, Monte do Carneiro and Monte Escuro). It is a population center that is centered along its principal avenue (sometimes referred to as either Avenida Marginal or Avenida D. Infante Henriques), and cut by several smaller roadways. But, its proto-urban form lies in the north near Espalamaca, with a grouping of north-south and east-west roads that developed from the initial colonization. The Horta of today grew from streets such as:
- Rua Vista Alegre/Ladeira da Paiva/travessa Almeida Garrett (that includes the Church Matriz, and Convent of Saint John);
- Rua Advogado Graça/Travessa do Poiso Novo (where the original Casa da Câmara and Convent of Glory were situated);
- Rua de São Paulo;
- Rua de São Pedro and Travessa da Misericórdia; and,
- Rua Dr. Azevedo and Calçada M. Vila, near the entrance to the Largo do Colégio.
- Rua de São João
- Rua Ten. Aragão (currently between the Império dos Nobres and the Sociedade Amor da Pátria)
- Rua da Conceição/Alameda Barão de Roches/Rua D. Pedro IV/Rua E. Rebelo, with the Pelourinho, the Casa da Câmara and older urban prison (Cadeia), the Convent of Glory, this area constituted the original Vila of Horta. The oldest dwellings and the older ornate façades are located in this area.
- Rua Maestro Simaria, located near the Rua Serpa Pinto, and the ancient Largo do Colégio Jesuíta;
- Rua Conselheiro Miguel da Silveira, and open to the Avenida Marginal.
These streets formed from the central colony, along hills parallel to each other, and perpendicular to the ocean. Littoral growth was made cautiously until the town square, civic center, town hall, and local water wells had been built along the seashore, growing out in both directions. The religious institutions generally mark the extent of the urbanized/rural limits (just as the Convent of Monte Carmo and Convent of the Capuchos do today to the northeast).
Modern Horta grew beyond the limits of this early colonization. A secondary nucleus grew in the area of Port Pim, and infilling occurred sporadically until a crescent form along the banks of the east coast developed, only contained by Ponte de Espalamaca to the north and the open sea to the south. The cinder cones in the south likely protected settlers and ships from the north Atlantic weather systems, sheltering colonists during the formative period. Horta grew slowly into the river valleys to the interior, linking the parishes of Flamengos to the west and Feteiras (the southwest) forming an incomplete urbanized mass. The nodes of growth basically follow the road network, including the recently completed "Scute" (freeway) that bypasses the southern E.R.1-1ª between Angustias and Feteiras.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Horta is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Economy
Due to its central position in the Triangle of islands in the central group of the archipelago, the city and municipality of Horta has been the focus of economic activity on Faial. It was the staging and export centre for many of the economic cycles of the region; the export of woadWoad
Isatis tinctoria, with Woad as the common name, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is commonly called dyer's woad, and sometimes incorrectly listed as Isatis indigotica . It is occasionally known as Asp of Jerusalem...
, oranges, whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
and Pico
Pico
Pico- is a prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 10−12 or .Derived from the Italian piccolo, meaning small, this was one of the original 12 prefixes defined in 1960 when the International System of Units was established....
Verdelho wines were the products that historically built the economy of the island. Many of the landed gentry concentrated their shops, production facilities and homes in the city, while agricultural goods were shipped to the city before being sent on to Europe or North America. For a long time, the island of Pico was an exclave of Horta (with summer homes, parcels and herds owned by residents of Faial) until its emancipation on 8 March 1723.
After the failure of the economic cycles, through boom-and-bust economies (brought on by weather, disease or market deviation) the city of Horta became a staging point for the transatlantic shipment, firstly for the whaling fleets, but then later by the submarine cable companies that laid the communication lines from Europe to North America. These spurts of growth concentrated the population, political and economic classes within Horta and economic activities on Faial.
Horta today is polarized between the same dichotomy that existed between the hinter- and heartlands, with most primary economic activities (agricultural mostly) dispersed into the parishes, while the secondary and tertiary activities are concentrated in the three main parishes (Angústias, Conceição and Matriz). In addition, the prosperity of the early 20th century, concentrated on the transatlantic traffic, has developed into a tourist-oriented economy concentrated on the architecture, geographic, leisure and socio-cultural aspects of the island. This includes sightseeing tours and whale-watching expeditions that depart from the city, the arrival of semi-weekly cruise ships during the summer and cultural festivals that unite the local parishes and visitors throughout the year.
Notable citizens
- Manuel de ArriagaManuel de ArriagaManuel José de Arriaga Brum da Silveira e Peyrelongue was a Portuguese lawyer, the first Attorney-General and the first elected President of the First Portuguese Republic, following the abdication of King Manuel II of Portugal and a Republican Provisional Government headed by Teófilo Braga Manuel...
(8 July 1840 - 5 March 1917), the first President of Portugal; - Euclides Rosa (Horta, Azores; c.1910 - São PauloSão PauloSão Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
c. 1979), engineer and artist, who worked for one of the early telegraph cable companies at the turn of the century, until 1946, when he abandoned his job to become an artist. Recognized as the Mestre do "Miolo de Figueira" (Master of Fig TreeCommon figThe Common fig is a deciduous tree growing to heights of up to 6 m in the genus Ficus from the family Moraceae known as Common fig tree. It is a temperate species native to the Middle East.-Description:...
PithPithPith, or medulla, is a tissue in the stems of vascular plants. Pith is composed of soft, spongy parenchyma cells, which store and transport nutrients throughout the plant. In eudicots, pith is located in the center of the stem. In monocots, it extends also into flowering stems and roots...
) he was acclaimed for his complex and elaborate sculptures of pith/wood, with a permanent collection in the Museum of Horta (donated in 1980).
Literature
Mark TwainMark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
visited Horta in June 1867, near the beginning of a long pleasure excursion to Jerusalem. He described his visit, with acerbic commentary on the people and culture of Horta, in The Innocents Abroad. Similarly, Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum
Joshua Slocum was the first man to sail single-handedly around the world. He was a Canadian born, naturalised American seaman and adventurer, and a noted writer. In 1900 he told the story of this in Sailing Alone Around the World...
, sailing the Spray
Spray (sailing vessel)
The S.V. Spray was a oyster sloop rebuilt by Joshua Slocum and used by him to sail single-handed around the world, the first voyage of its kind...
, stopped in Horta on the first leg of his solo circumnavigation
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
, which he chronicled in his 1899 book "Sailing Alone Around the World
Sailing Alone Around the World
Sailing Alone Around the World is a sailing memoir by Joshua Slocum about his single-handed global circumnavigation aboard the sloop Spray. Slocum was the first person to sail around the world alone...
."
In works by Vitorino Nemésio
Vitorino Nemésio
Vitorino Nemésio Mendes Pinheiro da Silva was a poet, author and intellectual from Terceira, Azores, best known for his romance Mau Tempo No Canal, as well as being a professor in the Faculty of Letters at the University of Lisbon and member of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon...
(O Corsário das Ilhas), Raul Brandão
Raul Brandão
Raul Germano Brandão was a Portuguese writer, journalist and military officer, notable for the realism of his literary descriptions and by the lyricism of his speech. Brandão was born in Foz do Douro, a parish of Porto, where he spent the majority of his youth...
(As ilhas Desconhecidas), the island is characterized as a focus of the story, while Jules Verne
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne was a French author who pioneered the science fiction genre. He is best known for his novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea , A Journey to the Center of the Earth , and Around the World in Eighty Days...
mentioned Horta in descriptions to his fiction tales.