Torres Novas (ˈtoʁɨʒ ˈnɔvɐʃ) is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 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 270.0 km² and a total population of 37,155 inhabitants.

The municipality is composed of 17 parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

es, and is located in the district of Santarém

Santarém (district)

The District of Santarém is located in Centro Region, Portugal, the district capital is the city of Santarém.It has an area of 6747 km² , and a population of 475,344 inhabitants.-Municipalities:...

. The city of Torres Novas has about 15,000 inhabitants. This city has a castle. The seat of the municipality (town hall/"camara municipal") is in the city, which includes four parishes ("freguesias") in the urban area.

History

Little is known about the history of Torres Novas prior to the conquest of the city from the Arab

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

s in 1148 by Don

Don (honorific)

Don, from Latin dominus, is an honorific in Spanish , Portuguese , and Italian . The female equivalent is Doña , Dona , and Donna , abbreviated "Dª" or simply "D."-Usage:...

 Afonso Henriques

Afonso I of Portugal

Afonso I or Dom Afonso Henriques , more commonly known as Afonso Henriques , nicknamed "the Conqueror" , "the Founder" or "the Great" by the Portuguese, and El-Bortukali and Ibn-Arrik by the Moors whom he fought, was the first King of Portugal...

, the first king of Portugal. It is assumed that several peoples called the area home, including the Greeks

Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...

, Romans

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

, Celts and Arabs. The Roman presence is well established based on the ruins at Vila Cardílio

Vila Cardílio

Vila Cardílio is a Roman ruin in central Portugal, located approximately 3 km outside of Torres Novas.The ruins receive their name from the inscription found at several locations with the ruins...

.

The castle

Castle

A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...

, which had fallen into ruin

Ruins

Ruins are the remains of human-made architecture: structures that were once complete, as time went by, have fallen into a state of partial or complete disrepair, due to lack of maintenance or deliberate acts of destruction...

, was rebuilt in 1190 by Sancho I

Sancho I of Portugal

Sancho I , nicknamed the Populator , second monarch of Portugal, was born on 11 November 1154 in Coimbra and died on 26 March 1212 in the same city. He was the second but only surviving legitimate son and fourth child of Afonso I of Portugal by his wife, Maud of Savoy. Sancho succeeded his father...

. The castle was further rebuilt by Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I of Portugal

Ferdinand I , sometimes referred to as the Handsome or rarely as the Inconstant , was the ninth King of Portugal and the Algarve, the second son of Peter I and his wife, Constance of Castile...

 in 1376. The city grew up directly around the castle.

The city was surrounded by walls until the 16th century when it began to expand beyond its historical boundaries. The original walls were demolished during the 19th century.

Parishes

• Alcorochel
• Assentiz
• Brogueira
• Chancelaria
• Lapas
• Meia Via
• Olaia
• Paço
• Parceiros de Igreja
• Parceiros de S. Joao
• Pedrógão
• Riachos
• Ribeira Branca
• Torres Novas (Salvador)
• Torres Novas (Santiago)
• Torres Novas (São Pedro)
• Torres Novas (Santa Maria)
• Zibreira

Economy

Renova – Fábrica de Papel do Almonda, SA

Renova (brand)

Renova is a Portuguese company that produces paper consumption goods . It is based in the city of Torres Novas, located in Médio Tejo, a NUTS3 subregion belonging to Centro region.It is one of the most well-known industry brands inside and outside of the country...

, a well known paper

Paper

Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

 company

Company

A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...

, is based in the municipality, as well as the Companhia de Torres Novas, a textiles company.

Politics

The present mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 is António Oliveira Rodrigues, elected by the Socialist Party

Socialist Party (Portugal)

The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....

.

In March 2007, Torres Novas fraternized with Moreni

Moreni

Moreni is a town in Dâmboviţa County, Romania, located about 100 km north-west of Bucharest, with a population of 22,868.In 1691, Moreni became the first place in Romania where oil was extracted....

, a city located in Dâmboviţa County

Dâmbovita County

Dâmbovița ; also spelt Dîmbovița is a county of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 541,763 and the population density was 134/km²...

, Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

.

Neighbouring cities ("Cidades")

Entroncamento

Entroncamento

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

, Tomar

Tomar

Tomar Municipality has a total area of 351.0 km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in Santarém District...

, Abrantes

Abrantes

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

, Ourém

Ourém

Ourém is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 416.6 km² and a total population of 49,269 inhabitants. The city itself has a population of about 12,000.The municipality is composed of 18 parishes, and is located in the district of Santarém...

 and Fátima

Fatima

-People:* Fatima , a female given name of Arabic origin* Fatima bint Muhammad, daughter of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad* Fatima Jinnah, the younger sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah...

, all in the Middle Tagus"Médio Tejo

Médio Tejo

Médio Tejo is a NUTS3 subregion of the Centro Region, in Portugal. Médio Tejo is also one of Portugal urban communities . The capital city and its most important city is Tomar.-Municipalities:...

"subregion.

External links

• Torres Novas: Town Hall official website
• Flickr.com: Photos from Torres Novas