Oliveira do Hospital
Encyclopedia
Oliveira do Hospital is a municipality in the old district of Coimbra
, in the central part of continental Portugal
.
settlements, Visigothic relics, noble Gothic
mansions as well as ancient villages built of slate. One can find Neolithic
and Bronze Age
burial grounds and genuine religious and rural relics such as the large granite outcroppings used as threshing floors, the Holy Cross Church and the Ferreiros Chapel, a Roman Gothic style temple dating to the 13th century and the Church of Sao Gião, known as the cathedral of its region due to its richly carved and painted 18th century Baroque
interior.
and cheese
s being its most important products. Regarding its business sector, confections, machine tools, packaging and toys are the most important. Oliveira do Hospital is known not only for its natural beauty but its cuisine, arts and crafts.
.
Coimbra (district)
Coimbra District is located in the Centro Region, the district capital is the city of Coimbra.-Municipalities:The district is composed by 17 municipalities:* Arganil* Cantanhede* Coimbra* Condeixa-a-Nova* Figueira da Foz* Góis* Lousã* Mira...
, in the central part of continental 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...
.
History
Inhabited by ancient civilizations, Oliveira do Hospital has RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlements, Visigothic relics, noble Gothic
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
mansions as well as ancient villages built of slate. One can find Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial grounds and genuine religious and rural relics such as the large granite outcroppings used as threshing floors, the Holy Cross Church and the Ferreiros Chapel, a Roman Gothic style temple dating to the 13th century and the Church of Sao Gião, known as the cathedral of its region due to its richly carved and painted 18th century Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
interior.
Geography
It is located at the northern edge of the district of Coimbra in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela Mountains, bisected by the Alva and Alvoco River valleys.- Aldeia das Dez
- Alvoco das Várzeas
- AvôAvôAvô is a town in Portugal....
- Bobadela
- Ervedal
- Lagares
- Lagos da Beira
- Lajeosa
- Lourosa
- Meruge
- Nogueira do Cravo
- Oliveira do Hospital
- Penalva de Alva
- Santa Ovaia
- São GiãoSão GiãoSão Gião is a parish , in the North of Portugal, on Serra da Estrela, the highest mountain range in Portugal. It belongs to the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, and the district of Coimbra....
- São Paio de Gramaços
- São Sebastião da Feira
- Seixo da Beira
- Travanca de Lagos
- Vila Franca da Beira
- Vila Pouca da BeiraVila Pouca da BeiraVila Pouca da Beira is a village and freguesia in the Portuguese municipality of Oliveira do Hospital.It has a surface area of 5.12 km² and 383 inhabitants . Its population density is 74,8 inh/km²....
Economy
Its fertile geographic position favors agriculture, which is the dominant activity of the region with wineWine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
s being its most important products. Regarding its business sector, confections, machine tools, packaging and toys are the most important. Oliveira do Hospital is known not only for its natural beauty but its cuisine, arts and crafts.
Transport
Although Oliveira do Hospital is well within the interior of the country, transportation services are quite adequate and have been increasing as befits a growing region. There are a number of roads to the coast and other cities, the best known being the scenic Estrada da BeiraBeira, Portugal
Beira was one of the six traditional provinces or "comarcas" of Portugal.-Administrative history:The medieval province of Beira was divided in 1832 into* Beira Alta Province* Beira Baixa ProvinceBeira Litoral...
.
Notable citizens
- Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas
- Dulce Pássaro
- Carlos Martins