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Vinhais
Flag of Vinhais
Municipal flag
Coat of arms of Vinhais
Municipal coat of arms
Location of Vinhais
Location  
 - Country Flag of Portugal Portugal
 - Region Norte
 - Subregion Alto Trás-os-Montes
 - District or A. The administrative divisions of Portugal are undergoing changes Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Alto Trás-os-Montes is a Portuguese subregion (NUTS level 3 integrated in the Norte region R. Bragança
Mayor Américo Pereira
 - Party PS
Area 694. The District of Bragança ( pron bɾɐ'gɐ̃sɐ is located in the Northeast of Portugal. Political parties in Portugal lists political parties in Portugal. Partido Socialista redirects here For other parties with similar names see Socialist Party. 9 km²
Population
 - Total 10,051
 - Density 14/km²
No. of parishes 35
Coordinates 41º49'N 7º00'W
Municipal holiday
May 20
Website: http://www.cm-vinhais.pt

Vinhais (pron. IPA: [vi'ɲaiʃ]) is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 694. "Freguesia" ( pron fɾɛgɨ'ziɐ is the Portuguese term for Civil parish, a secondary Local administrative unit in Portugal Vinhais ( pron vi'ɲajʃ is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 694 Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held This is a list of the municipalities of Portugal. Portugal is divided into 18 districts (distritos and 2 autonomous regions (Portuguese regiões autónomas) Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. 9 km² and a total population of 10,051 inhabitants. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of

The municipality is composed of 35 parishes and is located in the district of Bragança. The District of Bragança ( pron bɾɐ'gɐ̃sɐ is located in the Northeast of Portugal.

The present mayor is Américo Afonso Pereira, elected by the Socialist Party. Partido Socialista redirects here For other parties with similar names see Socialist Party.

The municipal holiday is May 20. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held

Contents

Parishes

Geography

The northern boundary of the municipality extends to the border with Spain, 23 km. away.

It is perched on the slopes of the Coroa mountains at an altitude of approximately 600 meters, protected from the cold winds of the north by the Ciradelha mountain, where in remote times there was a Luso-roman castro. A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement On the south side is the Tuela River valley. There are three other rivers in the concelho: the Rabaçal, the Mente, and the Baceiro. They are relatively unpolluted and provide fish for locals and tourists. The Baceiro has a trout hatchery which is deactivated but will be reopened soon.

History

This ancient town, older than the founding of Portugal, owes its name to the abundance of vineyards that covered the slopes and produced excellent wine. Today the production of wine has almost disappeared.

In the time of the Romans there was a settlement called Veniatia, through which passed the road that linked Braga to Astorga. Suevians, Visigoths, Vandals, and Moors all were present in the region. One of the first kings of Portugal, Sancho II had a castle and walls built around which grew a small town soon to be clled Vinhaes. This town was nicknamed Rich Town, because of the abundance of its wine, linen, silk, and wool.

Several times occupied by the Spanish it became part of Portugal again in 1403. In 1659 a Spanish general invaded the region and besieged Vinhais with 1,700 men. The castle resisted and the enemy retired across the border burning all the houses outside the walls as well as wall the villages they passed through.

After the fall of the monarchy in 1911 the Royalist rebel Paiva Couceiro entered Vinhais and attacked the Republican forces, defeating them and sending them in retreat to Chaves

Paiva Couceiro's entry into Vinhais was received with joy because this town was still pro-monarchy. Soon, the Provisional Government of the Republic sent 400 soldiers to attack the rebels. After some violent skirmishes the rebels were defeated and forced to surrender. See Royalist attack on Chaves

Today Vinhais is a small rather isolated municipality with an aging rural population. The attack on Chaves Portugal, which occurred on July 8, 1912, was a military action performed by supporters of the monarchy of Portugal in Without industry and with a diminishing population it relies on tourism, an annual fair specializing in smoked meats, and some agriculture, especially chestnut growing.

The norththern part of Vinhais is also part of the Montesinho Natural Park, with a significant interest on the rural and agricultural kind of life and the wild life preservation. Among the protected species are the Iberian Wolf, Roe Deer, Wild Boar, Iberian Lynx, Common Genet, Red Fox and European Otter. To accomplished a better understanding of the wild life, is now under construction a Biological Park (Parque Biológico de Vinhais), in the Ciradelha Mountain.

Coat of Arms and flag

The coat of arms' shield color is red with four silver-colored grapes, two on the left and the other two on the right. There is a tower with one door and two windows in the center and a further four towers at the top.

The colors of Vinhais's flag are black and white, white at the top-left and bottom-right and black at the top-right and bottom-left.

External links

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