Seia | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Urban area of Seia | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates:40°25′N7°42′W / 40.417°N 7.700°W /40.417; -7.700 | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Centro |
| Intermunic. comm. | Beiras e Serra da Estrela |
| District | Guarda |
| Parishes | 21 |
| Government | |
| • President | António Luciano Silva Ribeiro (PS) |
| Area | |
• Total | 453.69 km2 (175.17 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 21,755 |
| • Density | 47.951/km2 (124.19/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Local holiday | July 3 |
| Website | http://www.cm-seia.pt |
Seia (European Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈsɐjɐ]ⓘ) is amunicipality inGuarda District in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 21,755,[1] in an area of 453.69 square kilometres (175.17 sq mi).[2] Its urban population is about 7,000. Seia was elevated to city status on 3 July 1986. The municipality is situated on the northwestern slope ofSerra da Estrela, the highest mountain range inmainland Portugal, with a top height of 1993 meters. The present Mayor isAntónio Luciano Silva Ribeiro, elected by theSocialist Party. The municipal holiday isJuly 3. Seia has an annual cinema festival called CineEco that focuses on films with ecological and natural themes.
The municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities ofNelas andMangualde, to the northeast byGouveia, to the east byManteigas, to the southeast byCovilhã, to the southwest byArganil and to the west byOliveira do Hospital. In this municipality is located the highest point in mainland Portugal,Torre, in Serra da Estrela, with 1,993 meters of altitude. The municipality of Seia covers a large part of Serra da Estrela and is also the only one in Portugal where there is a natural ski resort,Vodafone Ski Resort, located within the limits of the parish ofLoriga.
Located on the western slope of Serra da Estrela, the city of Seia is at an altitude of 550 m. The climate of the municipality is temperate, with moderate temperatures in summer and cold in winter; with very low temperatures and frequent, sometimes significant snowfalls in the higher altitudes of the Serra da Estrela. As for the rainfall regime, there is a short dry season, which comprises the summer months of July and August.
It is 98 km fromCoimbra, 67 km fromGuarda, 45 km fromViseu, 298 km fromLisbon and 163 km fromPorto. It is mainly served by the Nacional 17 and Nacional 231, which allow a connection to the A25, A24 and IP3.
TheLagoa Comprida dam, built from a natural lagoon, is the main water reservoir in Serra da Estrela. It is the largest of the lakes in the upper massif and its high hydroelectric potential led to the construction of the dam in 1911, being one of the first engineering works of this nature carried out in Portugal.
The primitive human presence on where Seia lies today dates back to pre-Roman times, when a settlement was founded by theTurduli, around the4th century BC, under the name Senna. The Turduli built acastro in the place of Nogueira, between the hills of Santana and Carvalha do Outeiro. Three smaller castros strategically defended it, one in São Romão, another in Crestelo and a third in what is now Seia. There are still remains of castros in Travancinha, Loriga and São Romão.
When theRoman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula took place, theLusitanians made the mountain range, then called Montes Hermínios, their headquarters, which became a strong hurdle for the invaders. This did not, however, preventGeneral Galba from massacring 30,000 Lusitanian mountaineers.
When the Romans became lords of the land, they then transformed the Iberian castro of Nogueira into the Roman "Civitas Sena", which was fortified when it became an Ópido with the same name. It was later occupied by theVisigoths and theMoors, the latter from the 8th century onwards.
At the time of theChristian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the town was definitively conquered from the Moors byFernando Magno, who rebuilt its fortification. About this episode, the chronicle of monk Silas recounts the violence of the attack and how the Christians forced the occupants of Ópido Sena to flee towards Viseu.
During the time of formation of the Portuguese nationality, Bermudo Peres,Teresa of León's brother-in-law, started a revolt in the castle of Seia. He was unsuccessful, asAfonso I, having learned of this, went to meet him with his forces and expelled him from the castle. In the following year, he donated the domains of Seia and its castle to his servant João Viegas in recognition of services rendered. A few years later, the sovereign granted the first charter to the village in 1136, designating it Civitatem Senam.
Other charters followed, such as the one granted byAfonso II, in December 1217, that ofDuarte of Portugal, in December 1433, that ofAfonso V, in August 1479, and, finally, that ofManuel I, on 1 June 1510.
It was in Seia that the last republican rally was held before theestablishment of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. This rally took place on the 25th of September and was chaired byAfonso Costa, a local of Seia.
| Population of Seia Municipality (1801–2021) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 1849 | 1900 | 1930 | 1960 | 1981 | 1991 | 2001 | 2004 | 2011 | 2021 |
| 9993 | 14557 | 31929 | 31283 | 34436 | 31352 | 30362 | 28144 | 27574 | 24702 | 21755 |
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 21 civil parishes (freguesias):[3]
Domfront en Poiraie, France