Trás-os-Montes | |
|---|---|
 Tua Valley,Alijó | |
 Administrative borders of the region from 1936 to 1976 (Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro Province) | |
| Coordinates:41°29′N7°13′W / 41.483°N 7.217°W /41.483; -7.217 | |
| Country | Portugal |
| Districts | Bragança,Vila Real |
| Demonym(s) | Transmontano(Portuguese),Stramuntano(Mirandese) |
Trás-os-Montes (Portuguese pronunciation:[ˌtɾazuʒˈmõtɨʃ]Mirandese:Trás-ls-Muntes[ˌtɾaz̺(ɐ)ɫs̺ˈmʉ̃te̞s̺] is a geographical, historical and cultural region ofPortugal.
Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in anupland area, landlocked by the Douro and Tâmega rivers to south and west and by theSpanish communities ofGalicia andCastile and León to the north and east. This relative isolation has led to the survival of cultural traditions that mark the Portuguese identity. On the other hand, its relativecontinentality also contributed to the lack of development, which led its inhabitants to seek better conditions on the coast oremigrate to other European countries such asFrance,Luxembourg andSwitzerland, and toBrazil.
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The name of Trás-os-Montes refers to the location to the east of mountains such asMarão,Alvão andGerês, which separate the interior from the coast, and which form a valley around theDouro River. These natural barriers have kept this region of Portugal depopulated and poor for several centuries, being the reason that many of its inhabitants were forced to emigrate to the coast or to other countries such as Brazil, France, Luxembourg or Switzerland.
Though the boundaries have slightly changed since its creation, traditionally, the territory comprising Trás-os-Montes is limited up north withGalicia, to the east withCastile and León, to the west with theTâmega River and to the south with theDouro River.[1]
Geomorphologically the mountainous Trás-os-Montes region forms a continuum with theGalician Massif, so that it is considered as a whole under the name 'Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone'.[2]
This region is made up of two main districts, both to the right (north) of the Douro River:Vila Real andBragança, included as part of theNorth Region of Portugal, the other district is made up of 5 other municipalities in the south of the Douro River. , all of them included in Viseu and Guarda, all of them being part of the Central region
The most important cities in the region are:Vila Real,Bragança,Chaves,Mirandela,Macedo de Cavaleiros,Lamego,Peso da Régua,Miranda do Douro andValpaços. All of them are relatively small and populated with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Many people in this region live in small towns. Traditionally these villages were disconnected from the coast due to the lack of good roads, and thus suffered the effects of poverty and isolation. In these cases it can be understood that immigration was the only solution. Today the situation has improved with better roads and communications, but most populations continue to lose population, especially young people who prefer to go to large cities where there are usually more amenities and more opportunities to run a career.
In the small villages, agricultural activity is maintained at a good pace, so that it is still possible to obtain good: corn, wheat, olive oil, chestnuts and some delicate grapes widely used in the production of wine from the region (calledport wine) as well as a large number of natural agricultural products. Granite and mineral water are also very important industries in the region.
Trás-os-Montes is known by locals as the land of "10 months of winter and 2 months of hell" (dez meses de inverno e dois meses de inferno). The region has always been divided into two climatic zones, known as the Terra Fria (Cold Land) and the Terra Quente (Hot Land). The Terra Fria is the area with very cold and prolonged winters, with warm to hot and dry summers, while the Terra Quente has shorter winters, although equally cold, with very hot and dry summers that show their influence even in spring and fall, they are shorter than normal.[3]
Due to its continentality, Trás-os-Montes has the coldest winters in Portugal, with January temperatures varying between 7–11 °C (45–52 °F) during the day and 0–3 °C (32–37 °F) during the night; and has rather hot summers, with July and August temperatures varying between 26–32 °C (79–90 °F) during the day and 12–15 °C (54–59 °F) during the night, 33–34 °C (91–93 °F) in low-lying valleys.[4] The overall climate isMediterranean, but rainfall is much more distributed throughout the year than in other regions of Portugal, making it relatively close to anoceanic orhumid subtropical climate. This region is also more prone to summerthunderstorms than any other place in the country, due to its distance from theAzores High. Two cities from Trás-os-Montes,Chaves andBragança also hold the record for the highest air pressure ever recorded in Portugal, 1050.3 hPa.[5]
Trás-os-Montes stands out mainly for its landscape contrasts. To the north is theMontesinho Natural Park, to the east theDouro International Natural Park, bordering Spain, to the northwest thePeneda-Gerês National Park, to the east theMarão andAlvão mountains and to the south the region ofAlto Douro Vinhateiro, declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco on December 14, 2001. The northeast of the region is declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco under the name of Meseta Ibérica.
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TheDouro is the most outstanding river in this territory and the backbone of the relief and the geographical and human disposition. The following important rivers yield their waters to it: theSabor River, theTua River and theCorgo River, whose courses served to channel rail transport in the region. Another important river is theTâmega, which serves as the boundary of the region to the west. One of its tributaries is theRabagão River, which also serves to delimit the region and on which theAlto Rabagão andVenda Nova reservoirs are built. In theAzibo River, a tributary of the Sabor, theAzibo reservoir is established, a protected natural area of tourist interest. The Sabor river gives rise to the Baixo Sabor reservoir, one of the largest in the region. Nearby are those located in the International Douro:Castro,Miranda,Picote,Bemposta,Aldeadávila andSaucelle. Half of Portuguese ownership and the other half Spanish.
Undoubtedly the most important hydroelectric infrastructure in the region is the Alto Douro Vinhateiro navigation channel, which makes it possible for tourist cruises to transit fromPorto to the Spanish border atBarca d’Alva. It is possible thanks to the locks of thePocinho,Valeira,Régua,Carrapatelo andCrestuma-Lever dams.
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In addition to Portuguese, in the northeastern corner of the region, known asTierra de Miranda,Mirandese is spoken, a dialect of theAsturian language, which is officially recognized in Trás-os-Montes under Law No. 7 / 99, of January 29, 1999, of official recognition of the linguistic rights of the Miranda community. It is spoken by about 15,000 people in the municipalities of Miranda do Douro, Mogadouro and Vimioso. International organizations such asSIL International grant it its own code, others such asUnesco frame it within the Asturian language.[6]
Caretos de Podence is a masquerade held in the town ofPodence, belonging to the municipality ofMacedo de Cavaleiros, which has been declaredIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco. Inserted in the winter festivals, so characteristic in the Trás-os-Montes region, the Caretos represent diabolical and mysterious images that every year, since time immemorial, have been out on the streets at carnival festivals. Interrupting the long silences of each winter, as if secretly and unpredictably emerging from the corners of Podence, the Caretos and their frenzied cowbells appear well crossed in the colored stripes of the thick blankets of their suits.[7]
They are similar to those held in towns in the SpanishLeonese Region such as La Bufa de San Antón inAldeadávila de la Ribera, in theProvince of Salamanca, or El Zangarrón de Montamarta, in theProvince of Zamora.
The gaita transmontana or gaita mirandesa is among the most archaic known bagpipe models, in terms of its tuning and mode.
Contrary to what happens with theGalician bagpipe or theScottish bagpipe, for example, the mirandesa bagpipe has recently been recovered, so its repertoire is almost all traditional, with few modern compositions. This is due, in part, to the decline of the instrument, whose tradition had been maintained orally and was already being lost. However, today there are many old recordings and collections of this instrument available through the work of manyethnomusicologists. It shares various structural aspects with thesanabresa oralistana bagpipes.[8]
The gastronomy of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro reflects the difficulties experienced by the local populations of the region which had to adapt their diet to survive in the desolate region. Much of the localenchidos are made with every part of the animal,lard and bread soups were made, and high durability ingredients, such aschestnuts andcasulas (bean pods that were left to dry and then cooked) were used.[9]
Dishes are mostly meat-based, a significant contrast from the average fish-eating habits of thePortuguese.Posta à mirandesa is one of the most recognizable dishes in Trás-os-Montes, along withjavali no pote (wild boar),marrã à moda de Mesão Frio (pig),cabrito assado à transmontana ormilhos à moda de Trás-os-Montes (similar to acozido à portuguesa withmilho-branco (crushed corn) instead of vegetables); though seafood dishes also made their way in the local cuisine:Bacalhau à bruxa de Valpaços orPolvo à transmontana (octopus) are also well known.[9][10]
Sweet foods includeDoce Teixeira (made with lemon and cinnamon),Pudim de castanha (chestnutpudding), and variants of classic Portuguese recipes such asPapos-de-anjo de Mirandela orToucinho-do-céu de Murça.[9]
Trás-os-Montes was one of the six major administrative divisions into which the territory of Portugal was divided in the 15th century. The division was known asComarca until the 16th century, from then on to being known asProvince.[1]
Until the 17th century, the Province of Trás-os-Montes constituted a correctional office, administered by acorregedor (amagistrate with judicial and administrative functions). At the same time, in the event of war, the province also constituted the area of action of a main frontier, a military commander who was assigned the operational command of the province's troops on campaign.[1]
From the 17th century onwards, the province was divided into several corrections (also called comarcas), each with its own corregedor. The province then became just a statistical unit and a military region commanded by a governor of arms. At the beginning of the 19th century, Trás-os-Montes included the districts ofBragança, Miranda,Torre de Moncorvo andVila Real. In the interior of its territory, the Ervededo couto was located, which depended on the comarca of Braga (Province of Entre-Douro-e-Minho).[1]
The Province of Trás-os-Montes remained in the administrative division of 1832. At that time, it had a prefect - a magistrate representing the central government - and a provincial general council - a local authority, elected locally. The province was divided into the districts of Bragança, Chaves, Moncorvo and Vila Real. The counties, which were not provincial headquarters, each had a sub-prefect, who represented the prefect.[1]
By the administrative reform of 1835, Portugal was divided into districts. The division into provinces was maintained, but these became mere groupings of districts for statistical and regional reference purposes, without their own bodies. The Province of Trás-os-Montes joined the districts of Bragança and Vila Real.[1]
The province, now namedTrás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and encompassing some municipalities on the left bank of theDouro, was reinstated by the administrative reform of 1936, in accordance with the Constitution of 1933 (Estado Novo). The new provinces were created, based on a geographical study by geographerAmorim Girão that identified 13 "natural regions" in the territory of mainland Portugal. The natural region of Trás-os-Montes and the natural region of Alto Douro were grouped into the province of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.[1]
However, the provinces never had any practical attribution, and disappeared from the administrative scene (although not from the daily vocabulary of the Portuguese) with the constitutional revision of 1959, not being recovered by the 1976 Constitution.[1]
The proposal for regionalization subject to a referendum in 1998 (having been rejected) foresaw the creation of the Trás-os-Montes region, in every way the same as the province of 1936, with the exception of including one more municipality (Mêda).[1]