Peso da Régua
Encyclopedia
Peso da Régua (ˈpezu ðɐ ˈʁɛɣwɐ), commonly known as Régua, is a municipality in northern 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...

, in the district of Vila Real
Vila Real (district)
The District of Vila Real is a district of northern Portugal. With an area of 4,239 km², the district is located west of the port city of Porto and north of the Douro River. Vila Real has always belonged to the historical province of Tras-os-Montes. Approximate population in the 2001...

. With a total area of 94.9 km² (36.64 sq mi), extended over 12 parishes, its population included 17,987 inhabitants (of which approximately 10,000 are in the city of Régua).

History

Peso da Régua was inhabited by Roman and barbarian invasions during the early part of the settled history. Its name, as historians have suggested, developed from a few places: first, the name Vila Reggula a Roman estate that at one time existed near the historic centre; others suggest it originated from the word récua (the ships that plyed the waters along the Douro); or derived the word reguengo (a designation for lands that were attributed to the monarchy). Peso da Régua may also have its origin in the word regra (rule), alluding to the hereditary rights of descendents achieved through foral
Foral
thumb|left|200px|Foral of Castro Verde - PortugalThe word foral derives from the Portuguese word foro, ultimately from Latin forum, equivalent to Spanish fuero, Galician foro, Catalan furs and Basque foru ....

s. This theory is based on the donated of lands by Counts Henrique and Hugo in 1093, which were transferred to Egas Moniz. It is likely that this rule gave origin to the word Régoa, and later Régua. In relation to the first word, Peso, there are two opinions on its origin: the first, defends the it was derived from the place where the weighing of goods existed, or where taxes were levied; or, secondly, that the word was probably used to define the placed where animals were fed , or Penso.

Middle Ages

Peso de Régua received its foral from King 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...

, who conferred on the locality of Godim the municipal charter.

On 3 February 1837, Peso da Régua was elevated to the status of vila (town), which included the annexed municipality of Godim, the civil parishes of Godim, Loureiro, Fontelas, Moura Morta and Sedielos.

Its important role as municipality only achieved its zenith in 1836, after the Marquess of Pombal designated the Douro, its vineyards and wine, as a quality brand for export. This was helped through the creation of Companhia Geral das Vinhas do Alto Douro, in 1756, which delimited the vineyards of the Douro Valley by granite markers to regulate the vineyards and wines produced. After this point, through commercialization and centralization, Régoa began to become the centre of the region.

On 31 December 1859, due to the extinction of the municipality of Canelas, the parishes of Poiares, Covelinhas, Vilarinho de Freires and Galafura were added to the municipality.

Republic

On 11 Dezember 1933, the parish of Vinhos was created from the de-annexed region of Sedielos, resulting in a municipality of eleven parishes threaded along the Douro.

Within the integration of Canelas, in 1976, the municipality grew to twelve.

Peso da Régua was elevated to city on 14 August 1985.

In 1988, the Office Internacional de la Vigne et du Vin recognized the municipality as the Cidade Internacional da Vinha e do Vinho (International City of Vine and Wine).

Geography



The 12 parishes of Peso da Régua are:
  • Canelas
  • Covelinhas
  • Fontelas
  • Galafura
  • Godim (Peso da Régua)
  • Loureiro
  • Moura Morta
  • Peso da Régua
  • Poiares
  • Sedielos
  • Vilarinho dos Freires
  • Vinhós

Economy

It can not be expressed how important Port Wine
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...

 helped to catipult the fortunes of Peso da Régua:

Tourist boats ply the river from this point carrying tourists through the locks of two dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...

s to Régua. The town is also connected to Porto
Porto
Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...

by train with the line running along the banks of the Douro.

External links

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