Ermesinde
Encyclopedia
Ermesinde is a Portuguese
city located in the municipality
of Valongo
, 9 km northeast from Porto
. It has a population of about 40,000 inhabitants and an area of about 7 km². This means that although being the smallest (area wise) of the civil parishes in Valongo's municipality, it's the most highly populated with a population density
of more than 5,000 per km². The river Leça crosses the town.
, the new name was officially adopted.
During the 20th century, its proximity to Porto and the importance of the railways, made it grow, becoming one of Porto's suburban centers. As of 1990, the town reached city status, as defined by Portuguese law and granted by the national parliament. Since the, there has been some citizen pressure to make it a new municipality.
At the turning of the millennium, a new train station and culture center were built and some of the adjoining squares were improved, as part of the Polis programme.
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...
city located in the 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...
of Valongo
Valongo
Valongo is a Portuguese municipality located in the District of Porto, the city population is 18,698, and the municipality is composed of 5 parishes, of which three are cities and has a total population of 97,814 inhabitants.The two most populous cities in the Valongo municipality are Ermesinde,...
, 9 km northeast from 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...
. It has a population of about 40,000 inhabitants and an area of about 7 km². This means that although being the smallest (area wise) of the civil parishes in Valongo's municipality, it's the most highly populated with a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of more than 5,000 per km². The river Leça crosses the town.
History
Initially a riverside village named São Lourenço de Asmes, it became a growing railworker town after the railway was built. The two most important train lines in Northern Portugal, coming from Porto and from the North, were set to meet in Ermezinde (Ermesinde's old spelling), which was, at the time, only a part of the former village. As the train station developed, the name Ermezinde surpassed in popularity the older São Lourenço de Asmes. In 1910, with the 5 October 1910 revolution5 October 1910 revolution
The revolution of 1910 was a republican coup d'état that occurred in Portugal on 5 October 1910, which deposed King Manuel II and established the Portuguese First Republic....
, the new name was officially adopted.
During the 20th century, its proximity to Porto and the importance of the railways, made it grow, becoming one of Porto's suburban centers. As of 1990, the town reached city status, as defined by Portuguese law and granted by the national parliament. Since the, there has been some citizen pressure to make it a new municipality.
At the turning of the millennium, a new train station and culture center were built and some of the adjoining squares were improved, as part of the Polis programme.