Setúbal
Encyclopedia
Setúbal is the main city in Setúbal Municipality
in Portugal
with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants.
In the times of Al-Andalus
the city was known as Shetúbar (Arabic: شَطُوبَر ʃɛtˤuːbær). In the 19th Century, the port was called St. Ubes in English and St Yves in French.
The municipal holiday is September 15, which marks the date in the year 1860 on which King Pedro V of Portugal
officially recognised Setúbal as a city
.
The present Mayor is Maria das Dores Meira, appointed by the Democratic Unity Coalition.
The seat of the municipality is the city of Setúbal, located on the northern bank of the Sado River
estuary
, approximately 40 km south of Portugal's capital, Lisbon
. It is also the seat of the Setúbal District.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Setúbal was an important center of Portugal's fishing industry, particularly sardine
s. However, none of the many factories then created are operating today. Although its industrial life is in decline, tourism is perceived as a big opportunity for the future since the nearby coast of the Arrábida natural park offers beautiful beaches and unspoilt nature. A dolphin
colony inhabits the Sado River
. Across the river on the south bank lies the peninsula of Tróia
, where several high-rise luxury resorts were built and abandoned after the realization they were being constructed on sinking, unstable land. As of 2005, a new luxury resort is planned to replace today's Tróia
. The Tróia peninsula can be sighted from Albarquel
, a beach located in the north bank of the estuary, at the very beginning of Arrábida.
The main historical monument of the city of Setúbal is the Monastery of Jesus
, with a 15th–16th century church that represents one of the first buildings in the Portuguese late Gothic
style known as Manueline
.
Also of interest are the São Julião Church
, also with Manueline portals. The Castelo de São Filipe, is a 16th–17th century fortress on the north bank of the Sado river, overseeing the city. The fortress was converted into a luxury hotel (pousada
).
Teatro Animação de Setúbal
is based in Setúbal.
with: Leiria
, Portugal
, since May 1982 Beauvais
, France
, since June 1982 Pau, France
, since September 1991 Tordesillas
, Spain
, since September 1994 Porto Seguro
, Brazil
, since March 2000 Quelimane
, Mozambique
, since July 2000 Debrecen
, Hungary
, since November 2000 Safi
, Morocco
, since April 2001
Setúbal has international cooperation protocols with: Tarrafal
, Cape Verde
, since July 2002 Bobigny
, France
, since October 2003
Setúbal Municipality
Setúbal Municipality is located in Setúbal District. The main city is Setúbal.The municipality of Setúbal is composed of 8 parishes, and is the seat of the Setúbal District on the subregion of Península de Setúbal...
in 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...
with a total area of 172.0 km² and a total population of 118,696 inhabitants in the municipality. The city proper has 89,303 inhabitants.
In the times of Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
the city was known as Shetúbar (Arabic: شَطُوبَر ʃɛtˤuːbær). In the 19th Century, the port was called St. Ubes in English and St Yves in French.
The municipal holiday is September 15, which marks the date in the year 1860 on which King Pedro V of Portugal
Pedro V of Portugal
* Duke of Barcelos* Marquis of Vila Viçosa* Count of Ourém* Count of Barcelos* Count of Arraiolos* Count of Guimarães-Honours:* Knight of the Garter* Knight of the Golden Fleece-Ancestry:...
officially recognised Setúbal as a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
.
The present Mayor is Maria das Dores Meira, appointed by the Democratic Unity Coalition.
City information
Sado River
The Sado River is a river in Southern Portugal, and is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a South/North direction through 175 km from its springs in the Caldeirão hills before entering the Atlantic Ocean in an estuary in the city of Setúbal.In Setúbal, its estuary is famous...
estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
, approximately 40 km south of Portugal's capital, 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...
. It is also the seat of the Setúbal District.
In the beginning of the 20th century, Setúbal was an important center of Portugal's fishing industry, particularly sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s. However, none of the many factories then created are operating today. Although its industrial life is in decline, tourism is perceived as a big opportunity for the future since the nearby coast of the Arrábida natural park offers beautiful beaches and unspoilt nature. A dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
colony inhabits the Sado River
Sado River
The Sado River is a river in Southern Portugal, and is one of the major rivers in the country. It flows in a South/North direction through 175 km from its springs in the Caldeirão hills before entering the Atlantic Ocean in an estuary in the city of Setúbal.In Setúbal, its estuary is famous...
. Across the river on the south bank lies the peninsula of Tróia
Troia
-Places:Egypt*Tura, Egypt, a town in Cairo GovernorateItaly*Troia, Apulia, a comune in the Province of FoggiaPortugal*Tróia Peninsula, a peninsula in Setúbal District, AlentejoTurkey*Troy, an archaeological site in Çanakkale Province, Marmara...
, where several high-rise luxury resorts were built and abandoned after the realization they were being constructed on sinking, unstable land. As of 2005, a new luxury resort is planned to replace today's Tróia
Troia
-Places:Egypt*Tura, Egypt, a town in Cairo GovernorateItaly*Troia, Apulia, a comune in the Province of FoggiaPortugal*Tróia Peninsula, a peninsula in Setúbal District, AlentejoTurkey*Troy, an archaeological site in Çanakkale Province, Marmara...
. The Tróia peninsula can be sighted from Albarquel
Albarquel
Albarquel is a beach located in the city of Setúbal, Portugal. Along with the beaches of Sesimbra, Portinho da Arrábida and Costa da Caparica, it is one of the most popular beaches of the Península de Setúbal subregion. Being located in a bay, Albarquel has a scenic view over Tróia...
, a beach located in the north bank of the estuary, at the very beginning of Arrábida.
The main historical monument of the city of Setúbal is the Monastery of Jesus
Monastery of Jesus of Setúbal
The Monastery of Jesus is a historical religious building in Setúbal, Portugal. It is one of the first buildings in the Manueline style, the Portuguese version of late Gothic...
, with a 15th–16th century church that represents one of the first buildings in the Portuguese late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style known as Manueline
Manueline
The Manueline, or Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese style of architectural ornamentation of the first decades of the 16th century, incorporating maritime elements and representations of the discoveries brought from the voyages of Vasco da Gama and Pedro Álvares Cabral...
.
Also of interest are the São Julião Church
Igreja de São Julião (Setúbal)
The Igreja de São Julião is an 18th-century church located on the Praça de Bocage in Setúbal, Portugal. It is the main church of the city.-History:...
, also with Manueline portals. The Castelo de São Filipe, is a 16th–17th century fortress on the north bank of the Sado river, overseeing the city. The fortress was converted into a luxury hotel (pousada
Pousadas de Portugal
Pousadas de Portugal is a chain of luxury, traditional or historical hotels in Portugal. Formerly run by the state, they are now run by the Pestana group, which in September 2003 won a public bid for the sale of 37.6% of mother company Enatur and for a 40-year running concession...
).
Teatro Animação de Setúbal
Teatro Animação de Setúbal
Teatro Animação de Setúbal ia Portuguese professional theatre company. It has been active with theatrical and cultural activities continuously since 1976....
is based in Setúbal.
Notable residents and citizens
- Diogo Fernandes PereiraDiogo Fernandes PereiraDiogo Fernandes Pereira, sometimes called simply Diogo Fernandes, was a Portuguese 16th C. navigator, originally from Setúbal, Portugal. Diogo Fernandes was the first known European captain to visit the island of Socotra in 1503 and the discoverer of the Mascarenes archipelago in 1507...
, sometimes called simply Diogo Fernandes, was a 16th C. navigator. Diogo Fernandes was the first known European captain to visit the island of SocotraSocotraSocotra , also spelt Soqotra, is a small archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. The largest island, also called Socotra, is about 95% of the landmass of the archipelago. It lies some east of the Horn of Africa and south of the Arabian Peninsula. The island is very isolated and through...
in 1503 and the discoverer of the Mascarenes archipelago ( RéunionRéunionRéunion is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France...
, MauritiusMauritiusMauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, and RodriguesRodriguesRodrigues is a common surname in the Portuguese language. It was originally a Patronymic, meaning Son of Rodrigo or Son of Rui. The "es" signifies "son of". The name Rodrigo is the Portuguese form of Roderick, meaning "famous power" or "famous ruler", from the Germanic elements "hrod" and "ric" ,...
) in 1507. He may also have been the first European to sail east of MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
island ('outer route' to the East Indies); - Manuel Maria Barbosa du BocageManuel Maria Barbosa du BocageManuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage was a Portuguese Neoclassic poet, writing under the pen name Elmano Sadino.-Biography:...
(1765–1805) : notable satirical and classical poet. - Luisa TodiLuísa TodiLuísa Rosa de Aguiar Todi was a popular and successful Portuguese mezzo-soprano opera singer.Luísa Todi was born Luísa Rosa de Aguiar on January 9, 1753 in Setúbal, Portugal. In 1765, her family moved to Lisbon, where her father was a musical writer in the Theatre of Bairro Alto.Luísa began her...
(1753–1833) : classical singer. - José MourinhoJosé MourinhoJosé Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
: football manager. - José Travassos Valdez, 1st Count of Bonfim (1787–1862) : soldier, politician, Prime Minister of Portugal
- SabrinaSabrina (Portuguese artist)Sabrina is the stage name of Teresa Villa-Lobos, a Portuguese singer, from Setúbal. She represented her country and national broadcaster RTP at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007, in Helsinki, Finland, after winning the Festival da Canção, the national selection...
: represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007Eurovision Song Contest 2007The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
. - Lima de FreitasLima de FreitasLima de Freitas was a Portuguese painter, illustrator, ceramicist and writer. He studied at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa....
(1927–1998) Portuguese painter, illustrator, ceramicist and writer. He studied at the Escola Superior de Belas Artes de Lisboa. He illustrated over 100 books. Amongst his work on ceramic tiles, 14 Lisbon myths and legends tile panels are displayed at the Rossio Train Station located at Rossio, Lisbon; - MazganiMazganiMazgani is an Iranian-Portuguese singer-songwriter who started playing in Setúbal in the summer of 2004. Shahryar Mazgani's family had left Iran after the Iranian Revolution....
: Luso-Iranian singer-songwriter. - Sofia : represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004Eurovision Song Contest 2004The Eurovision Song Contest 2004, was the 49th Contest and it was held in the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. This was the first occasion in which the contest was held in Turkey after they had won the competition in 2003 with Sertab Erener singing "Everyway That I Can"...
. - Luís Buchinho : fashion designer.
- Rui David : singer of Hands on Approach.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Setúbal 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: Leiria
Leiria
Leiria is a city in Leiria Municipality in the Centro Region, Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The city proper has 50,200 inhabitants and the entire municipality has nearly 120,000...
, 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...
, since May 1982 Beauvais
Beauvais
Beauvais is a city approximately by highway north of central Paris, in the northern French region of Picardie. It currently has a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since June 1982 Pau, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since September 1991 Tordesillas
Tordesillas
Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, since September 1994 Porto Seguro
Porto Seguro
Porto Seguro is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It is the site where the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral first set foot on Brazilian soil on April 22, 1500...
, 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...
, since March 2000 Quelimane
Quelimane
Quelimane is a seaport in Mozambique. It is the administrative capital of the Zambezia Province and the province's largest city, and stands 25 km from the mouth of the Rio dos Bons Sinais . The river was named when Vasco da Gama, on his way to India, reached it and saw "good signs" that he was on...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, since July 2000 Debrecen
Debrecen
Debrecen , is the second largest city in Hungary after Budapest. Debrecen is the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar county.- Name :...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, since November 2000 Safi
Safi, Morocco
Safi is a city in western Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of the Doukkala-Abda Region, it has a population of 282,227 , but is also the centre of an agglomeration which has an estimated 793,000 inhabitants ....
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, since April 2001
Setúbal has international cooperation protocols with: Tarrafal
Tarrafal
Tarrafal is the name for some locations in Cape Verde:Towns and villages:*For the town in the island of Santiago, see Tarrafal, Cape Verde.*For the town in the island of São Nicolau, see Tarrafal de São Nicolau, Cape Verde....
, Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
, since July 2002 Bobigny
Bobigny
Bobigny is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, since October 2003
External links
- Town Hall official website
- Portugal Travel: Setúbal
- Travel-Images.com contains images of the city and district of Setúbal
- Photos from Setúbal