Caminha

Caminha (pron. IPA: [kɐ'miɲɐ]) is a municipality in the north-west of Portugal, 21 km north from Viana do Castelo located in the district of Viana do Castelo.

The municipality has a total area of 137.4 km² and 16,926 inhabitants.

Caminha is subdivided into 20 parishes, among them Vila Praia de Âncora, Moledo and Vilar de Mouros. The latter is well-known for the oldest rock festival in Portugal.

The present Mayor is Júlia Paula Pires Pereira da Costa, elected by the Social Democratic Party.

The municipal holiday is Easter Monday.

1 Parishes
2 General info
3 History
4 Attractions
5 External links

[edit] Parishes

Âncora
Arga de Baixo
Arga de Cima
Arga de São João
Argela
Azevedo
Caminha (or Caminha-Matriz) (Caminha)
Cristelo
Dem
Gondar
Lanhelas
Moledo
Orbacém
Riba de Âncora
Seixas
Venade
Vila Praia de Âncora
Vilar de Mouros
Vilarelho (Caminha)
Vile

[edit] General info

Caminha is located 2 km from the Atlantic, on the southern side of the Minho estuary, where this river is met by the smaller and meandering Coura. Here the Minho reaches its widest point (about 2 km) and marks the border between Portugal and Spain. The highly scenic area, with the wide estuary marked by low tide sandbars, a pastoral and green rural landscape, and pine forests on the slopes of the granitic mountains is increasingly popular for second homes and as a summer resort.

[edit] History

Initially a small Roman military settlement, Caminha was refounded as a bastide after the Christian reconquest. In the 15th and 16th centuries it became one of the main ports in northern Portugal, trading extensively with Northern Europe, Africa and India. Due to its border location and difficult river mouth was later replaced by Viana do Castelo. Now Caminha lives from trade and tourism, it is connected to Spain by a car ferry and to the rest of the country by rail and highways.

[edit] Attractions

The large Parish Church (1488), one of the most significant buildings illustrating the transition from gothic to Renaissance in Portugal, has some Manueline details. Several architects from northern Spain participated in its long construction. The outstanding timber roof in the interior has rich decoration showing Indian and Moorish influences. Other major points of interest are the main square (Renaissance fountain of 1551), several gothic and renaissance houses in the old core, and remains of fortifications. Some pre-Roman archeological findings and ethnographic pieces are shown in the modest Municipal Museum. The Atlantic beaches in the area are wide and have good sand but tend to be windy for part of the day, the Moledo beach attracts surfers.

South of the Coura the small granitic range ("Serra") of Arga (823 m) provides ample opportunities for hiking, cyclocross and canyoning. In the wooded northern slopes is the small monastery of S. João de Arga (popular place for picnics, camping and exploring peaks and streams; also venue for a religious festival) and the village of Castanheira (scenic terraced fields and natural pools). A weekly market is hold every wednesday.

Work from local coppersmiths and lacemakers can be found around town.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities of the District of Viana do Castelo
Arcos de Valdevez \| Caminha \| Melgaço \| Monção \| Paredes de Coura \| Ponte da Barca \| Ponte de Lima \| Valença \| Viana do Castelo \| Vila Nova de Cerveira