Oeiras
Encyclopedia
Oeiras is a town
and a municipality
in western Lisbon Metropolitan Area
, Portugal
. It is in conurbation
with Lisbon
, the parish population is 34,850, and the entire Oeiras Municipality has 168,475 inhabitants. The town (vila) of Oeiras is one of the most populous towns in Portugal. It is located by the end of the Tagus River (rio Tejo) mouth, across from Almada
, in the Greater Lisbon subregion.
. The municipality was founded in 1759 by the Marquis of Pombal, as a reward granted by king José I to his minister for having reconstructed downtown Lisbon
after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake
, it was at the county that he built a magnificent manor-house, the Palace of the Counts of Oeiras, which still exhibits grand stone staircases, statues, splendid tiles and beautiful gardens with cascades and an aqueduct with arches. Oeiras was once part of a defensive line of maritime fortresses built along the Lisbon coast between the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Saint Lawrence Fort (known as Bugio, rising on a tiny islet in the middle of the River Tagus) and the São Julião da Barra Fort, both examples of the Renaissance military architecture.
Oeiras offers a range of new attractions and sites of interest, from the Fábrica da Pólvora (a former gunpowder factory from the 16th century which has been recovered for leisure and cultural purposes) to the Poets Park (a vast green space with statues of Portuguese poets and writers) and the Palace of the Royal Estate at Caxias, dating from the 18th century and surrounded by wonderful gardens.
Visitors may also benefit from different leisure and sports facilities, such as the sports complex of Jamor, the Maritime Walk (a seaside promenade to link Algés to the Torre beach, still unfinished) or the modern marina at Oeiras, prepared to welcome sixty ships, besides other parks and gardens.
The historical centres of several towns have also been recovered and display monuments and sites of interest in picturesque and pleasant settings, often including good restaurants, as is the case of Paço de Arcos
.
and TVI
, two leading private Portuguese television networks. Many large multinational companies have offices in Oeiras making it one of the wealthiest municipalities in Europe.
NetJets Europe
is headquartered there. Nestlé
, Microsoft
, Cisco
, General Electric
and Nokia
are other companies that have facilities in the area, among many others. MIPS Technologies
bought in 2007 the Oeiras-based company Chipidea
. It is also well known by Taguspark
(a science and technology park), the Jamor (where the National Stadium
is located), and also by the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
(a private research institution). A major NATO command (Joint Command Lisbon
) and a maritime academy - Escola Náutica Infante D. Henrique - are located in the area. The Estação Agronómica Nacional of the Instituto Nacional dos Recursos Biológicos, located also in Oeiras, is a state-run national centre of agrarian research
.
.png)
Oeiras is well known by the sprawling office parks along its territory. These host, in most cases, multinational companies. Here is a list of some of them:
, held at the Estoril Court Central
, is a professional tennis
tournament that hosts both an ATP
(men's) and WTA
(women's) event. The event is held in Oeiras but is nominally located in the nearby resort of Estoril
by the sport's governing bodies. The men's event was first held in 1990, when the ATP took absolute control of the men's tennis tour and revamped it. In 1998, the first women's event was held, as a component of the ITF women's circuit
; a year later, it was promoted to the main WTA Tour. On the men's side, several players who have won the event have also triumphed at the French Open, including Sergi Bruguera
, Andrei Medvedev
, Thomas Muster
, Carlos Moyà
, Juan Carlos Ferrero
, and Gastón Gaudio
. The list of champions also includes two-time finalist Àlex Corretja
, Australian Open
champion Novak Đoković, Tennis Masters Cup
winner David Nalbandian
, and, most recently, sixteen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and a municipality
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...
in western Lisbon Metropolitan Area
Lisbon Metropolitan Area
Lisbon Metropolitan Area is a territorial zone that includes 18 municipalities in Portugal. The smaller Grande Lisboa area is a subregion of the NUTS II Lisbon Region by its own right....
, 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...
. It is in conurbation
Conurbation
A conurbation is a region comprising a number of cities, large towns, and other urban areas that, through population growth and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area...
with 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...
, the parish population is 34,850, and the entire Oeiras Municipality has 168,475 inhabitants. The town (vila) of Oeiras is one of the most populous towns in Portugal. It is located by the end of the Tagus River (rio Tejo) mouth, across from Almada
Almada
Almada is a municipality in Portugal, covering an area of 70.2 km² located on the southern margin of the Tagus River. Its municipal population in 2008 was 164,844 inhabitants; the urbanized center had a population of 102,357.The seat is the city of Almada....
, in the Greater Lisbon subregion.
History and landmarks
The parish dates back to the year 1208, when the area was settled by Christians from the north of PortugalPortugal
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 municipality was founded in 1759 by the Marquis of Pombal, as a reward granted by king José I to his minister for having reconstructed downtown 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...
after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake
1755 Lisbon earthquake
The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that took place on Saturday 1 November 1755, at around 9:40 in the morning. The earthquake was followed by fires and a tsunami, which almost totally destroyed Lisbon in the Kingdom of Portugal, and...
, it was at the county that he built a magnificent manor-house, the Palace of the Counts of Oeiras, which still exhibits grand stone staircases, statues, splendid tiles and beautiful gardens with cascades and an aqueduct with arches. Oeiras was once part of a defensive line of maritime fortresses built along the Lisbon coast between the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Saint Lawrence Fort (known as Bugio, rising on a tiny islet in the middle of the River Tagus) and the São Julião da Barra Fort, both examples of the Renaissance military architecture.
Oeiras offers a range of new attractions and sites of interest, from the Fábrica da Pólvora (a former gunpowder factory from the 16th century which has been recovered for leisure and cultural purposes) to the Poets Park (a vast green space with statues of Portuguese poets and writers) and the Palace of the Royal Estate at Caxias, dating from the 18th century and surrounded by wonderful gardens.
Visitors may also benefit from different leisure and sports facilities, such as the sports complex of Jamor, the Maritime Walk (a seaside promenade to link Algés to the Torre beach, still unfinished) or the modern marina at Oeiras, prepared to welcome sixty ships, besides other parks and gardens.
The historical centres of several towns have also been recovered and display monuments and sites of interest in picturesque and pleasant settings, often including good restaurants, as is the case of Paço de Arcos
Paço de Arcos
Paço de Arcos in Oeiras, Portugal. With an area of 3,49 km², 28 000 inhabitants and population density of 3 390,5 hab/km². It was elevated to town by a decree at December 7, 1926....
.
Economy
It has several industrial and commercial facilities, being also home of SICSIC (Portugal)
SIC - Sociedade Independente de Comunicação is a Portuguese television network and media company, which runs several television channels. Their flagship channel is the eponymous SIC, the third terrestrial television station in Portugal, launched on October 6, 1992...
and TVI
TVI (Portugal)
Televisão Independente is Portugal's fourth terrestrial television channel, launched in 1993. It has been leading audience ratings since 2005. It competes directly with SIC and RTP1.-History:...
, two leading private Portuguese television networks. Many large multinational companies have offices in Oeiras making it one of the wealthiest municipalities in Europe.
NetJets Europe
NetJets Europe
- History :NetJets Europe, also known by its corporate legal name, NetJets Transportes Aéreos, S.A., was founded in 1996 as a sister company of NetJets in the United States. In 2002 Mark Booth, the man who brought MTV to Europe and the former CEO of BSkyB, became the company’s Chairman and CEO...
is headquartered there. Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
, General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
are other companies that have facilities in the area, among many others. MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies
MIPS Technologies, Inc. , formerly MIPS Computer Systems, Inc., is most widely known for developing the MIPS architecture and a series of pioneering RISC chips. MIPS provides processor architectures and cores for digital home, networking and mobile applications.MIPS Computer Systems Inc. was...
bought in 2007 the Oeiras-based company Chipidea
Chipidea
Chipidea was a Portuguese analog semiconductor IP design center, headquarterd in Oeiras, Greater Lisbon subregion, which had been founded in 1997 by José Epifânio da Franca. In August of 2007 it was bought by the US-based company MIPS Technologies for $147 million in cash plus future...
. It is also well known by Taguspark
Taguspark
Taguspark is a science and technology park located in the municipality of Oeiras, Greater Lisbon subregion, Portugal. In an area of approximately 3.6 km², 2 km² of which are occupied by the Park, there are several research and development labs, innovative startups and business incubators in a range...
(a science and technology park), the Jamor (where the National Stadium
Estádio Nacional
The Estádio Nacional , also known as Estádio do Jamor, is the Portuguese national football ground. It is located in the Jamor sports complex, in Oeiras, near Lisbon. It was designed by Jacobetty Rosa and the building works started in 1939, with its inauguration happening on 10 June 1944 by the...
is located), and also by the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
The is an international centre for biomedical research and graduate education, located in in Oeiras, Portugal. It was founded by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in 1961. António Coutinho has been the Institute's Director since 1998....
(a private research institution). A major NATO command (Joint Command Lisbon
Joint Command Lisbon
Allied Joint Force Command Lisbon or JFC Lisbon is one of the three main subdivisions of NATO's Allied Command Operations. It is based in Oeiras, near Lisbon, Portugal...
) and a maritime academy - Escola Náutica Infante D. Henrique - are located in the area. The Estação Agronómica Nacional of the Instituto Nacional dos Recursos Biológicos, located also in Oeiras, is a state-run national centre of agrarian research
Agricultural science
Agricultural science is a broad multidisciplinary field that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. -Agriculture and agricultural science:The two terms are often confused...
.
Business Parks
- Arquiparque
- Lagoas Park
- Miraflores Premium
- Neo Park
- Parque Holanda
- Parque Suécia
- Quinta da Fonte
- TagusparkTagusparkTaguspark is a science and technology park located in the municipality of Oeiras, Greater Lisbon subregion, Portugal. In an area of approximately 3.6 km², 2 km² of which are occupied by the Park, there are several research and development labs, innovative startups and business incubators in a range...
- Science and Technology Park - Tagus Space
Tennis
The Estoril OpenEstoril Open
The Estoril Open is an ATP and WTA clay court tournament held in Jamor, Oeiras, Portugal . The men's tournament was created in 1990 and since its inception, every champion except 2004 champion Juan Ignacio Chela and 2009–2010 champion Albert Montañés has been in the Top 10 of the ATP rankings,...
, held at the Estoril Court Central
Estoril Court Central
Estoril Court Central is the main tennis court in Oeiras, Portugal. Built in 2005, it currently holds 10,000 spectators. It annually hosts the Estoril Open in May....
, is a professional tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournament that hosts both an ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(men's) and WTA
Women's Tennis Association
The Women's Tennis Association , founded in 1973 by Billie Jean King, is the principal organizing body of Women's Professional Tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women. Its counterpart organization in the men's professional game is the Association of...
(women's) event. The event is held in Oeiras but is nominally located in the nearby resort of Estoril
Estoril
Estoril is a seaside resort and civil parish of the Portuguese municipality of Cascais, Lisboa District. The Estoril coast is close to Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It starts in Carcavelos, 15 kilometres from Lisbon, and stretches as far as Guincho, often known as Costa de Estoril-Sintra or...
by the sport's governing bodies. The men's event was first held in 1990, when the ATP took absolute control of the men's tennis tour and revamped it. In 1998, the first women's event was held, as a component of the ITF women's circuit
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
; a year later, it was promoted to the main WTA Tour. On the men's side, several players who have won the event have also triumphed at the French Open, including Sergi Bruguera
Sergi Bruguera
Sergi Bruguera i Torner is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning consecutive men's singles titles at the French Open in 1993 and 1994.-Career:...
, Andrei Medvedev
Andrei Medvedev
Andriy Medvedev , is a former professional tennis player from Ukraine. Medvedev made a splash on the international tennis scene when, as a 17-year-old, he won titles in Genoa and Stuttgart...
, Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster
Thomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...
, Carlos Moyà
Carlos Moyá
Carlos Moya Llompart is a retired former world no. 1 tennis player from Spain. He was the French Open singles champion in 1998 and was the singles runner-up at the 1997 Australian Open. In 2004, he helped his country win the Davis Cup. He currently resides in Switzerland...
, Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero
Juan Carlos Ferrero Donat is a professional tennis player, and a former world no. 1 player, from Spain. He captured the men's singles title at the 2003 French Open, and in September of that year, he became the 21st player to hold the world no. 1 ranking. He was also the runner-up at the 2002...
, and Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Norberto Gaudio is a former tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP ranking was World No. 5 in 2005...
. The list of champions also includes two-time finalist Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja
Àlex Corretja i Verdegay is a former professional tennis player from Spain. During his career, he finished runner-up twice at the French Open . He won the ATP Tour World Championships in 1998 and reached his career-high singles ranking of world no. 2 in 1999...
, Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
champion Novak Đoković, Tennis Masters Cup
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
winner David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
, and, most recently, sixteen-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer
Roger Federer
Roger Federer is a Swiss professional tennis player who held the ATP no. 1 position for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and 285 weeks overall. As of 28 November 2011, he is ranked World No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals . Federer has won a men's record 16 Grand Slam singles titles...
.
Parishes
Oeiras has 10 civil parishes- Algés
- Barcarena
- Carnaxide
- Caxias
- Cruz Quebrada-Dafundo
- Linda-a-Velha
- Oeiras e São Julião da BarraOeiras e São Julião da BarraOeiras e São Julião da Barra is a civil parish in Oeiras Municipality, Portugal, corresponding to the town of Oeiras ....
- Paço de ArcosPaço de ArcosPaço de Arcos in Oeiras, Portugal. With an area of 3,49 km², 28 000 inhabitants and population density of 3 390,5 hab/km². It was elevated to town by a decree at December 7, 1926....
- Porto SalvoPorto SalvoPorto Salvo is a civil parish in Oeiras, Portugal.Situated to the North of Paço de Arcos and Oeiras, the Porto Salvo parish spans a surface of approximately 7.10 km² and has a population of 15,119 ....
- Queijas