Marinha Grande
Encyclopedia
Marinha Grande is a municipality in the Leiria District, Portugal. The municipality has a population of 38,030 and a total area of 187.1 km². The city itself has a population of 30,000.
The town is composed of three parishes: Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, and Moita. It is located right in the middle of the 700 year old Leiria
pine forest covering 100 square kilometres, and near exquisite beaches such as Praia da Vieira, Nazaré
, and São Pedro de Moel
.
The present Mayor is Álvaro Pereira, elected by the Socialist Party
.
The municipal holiday is Ascension Day.
and expanded by Dom Dinis
as a barrier against the sands and to supply timber to the maritime industry.
The Marinha Grande glass manufacturing industry was first established in the middle of the 18th century. The Royal Glass Factory (Real Fabrica de Vidros) was bought by an English entrpreneur William Stephens
who developed the factory and the business under the protection of the Marques de Pombal. The wood from the pine forest was used to fuel the factories. The former palacial home of William Stephens now contains the Museu do Vidro da Marinha Grande which houses glassware from the 17th-20th centuries. In 1826, the factory was given to the state and became one of the country's main producers of traditionally made fine crystal.
The city is served by a highway and a train line. It is a 1 hour and 15 min drive away from Lisbon
, only 10 min away from Leiria
and 45 minutes to Coimbra
.
The town is composed of three parishes: Vieira de Leiria, Marinha Grande, and Moita. It is located right in the middle of the 700 year old 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...
pine forest covering 100 square kilometres, and near exquisite beaches such as Praia da Vieira, Nazaré
Nazaré, Portugal
Nazaré is a town in Nazaré Municipality in Portugal with a total area of 82,4 km² and a total population of 14,904 inhabitants. It is in subregion Oeste and Leiria district....
, and São Pedro de Moel
São Pedro de Moel
São Pedro de Moel is a beach community near to the city of Marinha Grande in the district of Leiria, Portugal.It is located within the Pinhal de Leiria, south of the mouth of Ribeira de Moel. It is a seaside village, west of the cities of Marinha Grande and Leiria.In 1463 Don Afonso V gave São...
.
The present Mayor is Álvaro Pereira, elected by the Socialist Party
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of several different political parties around the world that are explicitly called Socialist. All of these parties claim to uphold socialism, though they might belong to different branches of the socialist movement and might therefore have different interpretations of...
.
The municipal holiday is Ascension Day.
History
The Pinhal de Leiria forest was first planted in the 13th century by Dom Afonso IIIAfonso III of Portugal
Afonso III , or Affonso , Alfonso or Alphonso or Alphonsus , the Bolognian , the fifth King of Portugal and the first to use the title King of Portugal and the Algarve, from 1249...
and expanded by Dom Dinis
Denis of Portugal
Dinis , called the Farmer King , was the sixth King of Portugal and the Algarve. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile and grandson of king Alfonso X of Castile , Dinis succeeded his father in 1279.-Biography:As heir to the throne, Infante Dinis was...
as a barrier against the sands and to supply timber to the maritime industry.
The Marinha Grande glass manufacturing industry was first established in the middle of the 18th century. The Royal Glass Factory (Real Fabrica de Vidros) was bought by an English entrpreneur William Stephens
William Stephens (glassmaker)
William Stephens was an English entrepreneur and glass manufacturer who made a fortune in Portugal manufacturing lime after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and then operating the Portuguese Royal Glassworks...
who developed the factory and the business under the protection of the Marques de Pombal. The wood from the pine forest was used to fuel the factories. The former palacial home of William Stephens now contains the Museu do Vidro da Marinha Grande which houses glassware from the 17th-20th centuries. In 1826, the factory was given to the state and became one of the country's main producers of traditionally made fine crystal.
Economy
Marinha Grande is Portugal's biggest glass manufacturer, and it is also the European capital for the moulding industry, with 250 companies operating there, rightfully giving the town the nickname 'The Crystal City'.The city is served by a highway and a train line. It is a 1 hour and 15 min drive away from 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...
, only 10 min away from 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...
and 45 minutes to Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
.