PALMELA
38° 33' 58" N; 8° 54' 04" W
It is the seat of the municipality of Palmela, which has an area of 465.12 km² and 62 831 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 4 parishes: Palmela; Pinhal Novo; Poceirão e Marateca; Quinta do Anjo. The municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities of Benavente and Alcochete, to the northeast by the eastern portion of the municipality of Montijo, to the east by Vendas Novas, to the southeast by Alcácer do Sal, to the south by Setúbal, to the west by Barreiro and to the northwest by Moita and by the western portion (main area) of the municipality of Montijo.
The area has been settled since at least Neolithic times.
Palmela, once a fortress, was conquered by the Portuguese in the 12th century. A semi-rural town, it is located up a hill in the Arrábida area, within Portugal's largest urban area. Many people are moving in from big cities like Lisbon.
The castle, Castelo de Palmela, offers a unique view over the whole region of the Setúbal Peninsula, Lisbon, and the Atlantic Coast. It was a strategic place in past centuries, and today it is still a main juncture of Portugal's road and rail networks.
Palmela is home to many multinational industrial plants like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, and a significant number of foreign families live in the area. The local radio often broadcasts in Ukrainian.
Palmela's traditional products are its wine, which has achieved international awards in several festivals like that of Bordeaux, and the Queijo de Azeitão (Azeitão cheese). There are several festivals dedicated to these products, the most famous being the Festa das Vindimas (Harvest' Festival) and the Festival do Queijo, Pão e Vinho (Festival of Cheese, Bread, and Wine).
On the Setúbal peninsula, on the eastern foothills of the Serra da Arrábida, it is situated between the estuaries of the Tagus River and the Sado River, near the mouth of the latter. It is part of the so-called Costa Azul, in the Arrábida Natural Park. From the top of its keep, on clear days the view unfolds to Lisbon.
The primitive human occupation of the region dates back to prehistory. Modern archaeological research shows, however, that the subsequent occupation of its site was uninterrupted, initially by Visigoths and, later, by Muslims, the latter responsible for the primitive fortification, between the 8th and 9th centuries, greatly expanded between the 10th and the XII.
At the time of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, after the conquest of Lisbon (1147) by the forces of King D. Afonso Henriques (1112-1185), Sintra, Almada, and Palmela came to fall in the same year. On that occasion, the Muslim forces that defended Palmela, abandoned her, going to take refuge in Alcácer do Sal. In this way, the Portuguese forces only took over the village and its domains. Muslim forces, however, soon reorganized, recovering the south bank of the Tagus River. The Christians regained Palmela in 1158. Once again lost, it was definitively conquered by the sovereign on June 24, 1165. From the following year, reinforcement works were undertaken.
At the end of the reign of D. Fernando (1367-1383), when the siege of Lisbon by Castilian troops (March 1382), the outskirts of this village to the south were also plundered and set on fire.
In the 18th century, the castle's structure was seriously damaged by the 1755 earthquake.
Pousada do Castelo de Palmela. (HISTORIC HOTEL)
Pousada do Castelo de Palmela or Pousada de Santiago is located in Castelo de Palmela, Setúbal district.
It integrates the Pousadas de Portugal chain with the classification of Pousada Histórica.
The Pousada integrates the cloisters of the old convent, with the galleries transformed into leisure areas.
The restaurant is located in the old refectory of the friars, with the walls of a meter and a half thick and the original pulpit from where religious readings were taken during meals.
The 23 rooms and 5 suites, spread over two floors, offer views of the sea, the village of Palmela, or the Castle, depending on the weather and orientation. Soberly decorated, they also have thick walls of 1.40 meters.
Pousada do Castelo de Palmela or Pousada de Santiago is located in Castelo de Palmela, Setúbal district.
It integrates the Pousadas de Portugal chain with the classification of Pousada Histórica.
The Pousada integrates the cloisters of the old convent, with the galleries transformed into leisure areas.
The restaurant is located in the old refectory of the friars, with the walls of a meter and a half thick and the original pulpit from where religious readings were taken during meals.
The 23 rooms and 5 suites, spread over two floors, offer views of the sea, the village of Palmela, or the Castle, depending on the weather and orientation. Soberly decorated, they also have thick walls of 1.40 meters.
MECHANICAL MUSIC MUSEUM
