Distrito de Vila Real
Good Wines and Coooking
Douro, Alto Douro Trás-os-Montes
The
County (State) of Vila Real, in
central Portugal whose head office is located 397 km to the south of the city
of
Lisbon is one of the
18 counties (
distritos) of Portugal.
Douro, Alto Douro Trás-os-Montes
North Region (Douro sub-region) - Capital of the municipality and the District of Vila Real, the city is also
capital of the former province of
Trás-Os-Montes
and Alto Douro, located in the
northeast of Portugal.
Vila Real - the
Heart of the Douro and Port Wine - is the largest city in the north of
Douro
Vineyard (or Vineyard).
See
Map of Douro Wine Region.
Vila Real © / CC
Location
Located on the banks of the
Rio Corgo, a tributary of the right bank of the
Rio Douro, the city is located at an altitude of 450 m. In
Vila Real, the Cabril river flows into the
Rio Corgo. These lands are in the designated area of
Baixo Corgo.
The Heart of the Douro
In the
heart of the Douro, the municipality (municipality) is limited to the north by the municipalities of
Ribeira de Pena and
Vila Pouca
de Aguiar, to the east by the municipality of
Sabrosa, to the south by
Peso da Régua, southwest by
Santa Marta de Penaguião, to the west
by
Amarante and northwest by the municipality of
Mondim de Basto.
Rich History
In 1096, the place received the designation of Constantim de Panóias by Count D. Henrique. But it was only in the 13th century that the locality
received, in 1289, "by charter of D. Dinis (the first given by this monarch to Vila Real)" the authorization to found the "pobra de
Vila Real de Panóias, which would become the city of today" (CM de Vila Real).
Many nobles settled in Vila Real in the 17th and 18th centuries, which is why it was called the "Corte de Trás-os-Montes",
which can be seen by the numerous "stones-of-arms that attest to the titles of nobility"[CM Vila Real] in some
dwellings.
Terra de Diogo Cão
"Great navigator who discovered the mouth of Zaire, in the 15th century. It is tradition that he was born in Vila Real, where there is still a
beautiful medieval-style house that is said to belong to his family" (CM de Vila Real).
Parishes of Vila Real
The municipality (municipality) of Vila Real is divided into 20 parishes. View
Parishes of Vila Real.
Counties of Vila Real District
The Vila Real district, in turn, is made up of 14 municipalities. See the
Counties of
District of Vila Real.