Lourinhã (locally[loɾiˈɲɐ̃]^ⓘ) is a municipality in the District ofLisbon and in theportugueseOeste region. The population in 2011 was 25,735,^[1] in an area of 147.17 km².^[2] The seat of the municipality is the town of Lourinhã, with a population of 8,800 inhabitants.

Lourinhã
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates:39°14′N9°18′W / 39.233°N 9.300°W /39.233; -9.300
Country	Portugal
Region	Oeste e Vale do Tejo
Intermunic. comm.	Oeste
District	Lisbon
Parishes	8
Government
• President	João Duarte (PS)
Area
• Total	147.17 km2 (56.82 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	25,735
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+00:00 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (WEST)
Local holiday	Saint John June 24
Website	www.cm-lourinha.pt

The present Mayor is João Duarte, elected by theSocialist Party.

The name Lourinhã possibly originated in the period ofRoman domination, when avilla was located in the area. The origin of the medieval village is linked toJordan, a French knight who took part in the successfulSiege of Lisbon in 1147.King Afonso Henriques granted Jordan the region of Lourinhã asfief and allowed him to grant aforal (letter of feudal rights) to its settlers in 1160. The name Lourinhã may be related to the origin of its feudal lord, since Jordan was from theLoire region inFrance.

The rights of Lourinhã were confirmed by letters ofKing Sancho I in 1218 and again byAfonso III in 1258. The parish of Lourinhã became one of the richest of theLisbonDiocese, as reflected by its main church, a fine example of 14th-century PortugueseGothic architecture. The Gothic works of the main church were sponsored by Lourenço Vicente, a Lourinhã-bornArchbishop of Braga who received the village as a donation ofKing John I in 1384.

In the 16th century, theFranciscan monastery of Santo António (1598) and a Misericórdia Church and Charity (1586) were founded in Lourinhã. The Misericórdia (Mercy), a religious charity, now houses a museum with outstandingRenaissance paintings. The most important paintings are by the hand of a mysterious early 16th-century painter, dubbed theMaster of Lourinhã (Mestre da Lourinhã).

Starting at the end of the 19th century, the infrastructure of the municipality was modernised with roads, canalised water and electric light, as well as improvements in the educational system. The economy depended mostly on agriculture and fishing. Tourism is an increasingly important source of revenue, due to the municipality's extensive, picturesque beaches and, more recently, by the paleontological remains from the eponymousLourinhã Formation, which include fossilised bones, footprints, eggs and even embryos fromJurassicdinosaurs. Many of which can be seen nowadays at the local museum,Museu da Lourinhã.

Lourinhã, is one of the fewbrandy-making areas, besidesCognac, Armagnac and Jerez, that have received appellation status.

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 8 civil parishes (freguesias):^[3]

• Lourinhã e Atalaia
• Miragaia e Marteleira
• Moita dos Ferreiros
• Reguengo Grande
• Ribamar
• Santa Bárbara
• São Bartolomeu dos Galegos e Moledo
• Vimeiro

Lourinhã has aMediterranean climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Temperatures are never too hot nor too cold.

Lourinhã has 12 km of coastline with several popular beaches.

• Praia de Areal
• Praia da Areia Branca
• Praia do Caniçal
• Praia de Paimogo
• Praia de Vale Frades
• Praia de Porto das Barcas
• Praia da Peralta

The area of Lourinhã is known by the Late Jurassic findings of dinosaurs and other fossils, and give the name forLourinhã Formation. TheMuseu da Lourinhã holds the main dinosaur collection.

• Ana Jorge (born 1949) a pediatrician and a Portuguese politician
• Nuno Brás (born 1963)Bishop of Madeira
• Fernando Alexandre (born 1985) a Portuguese former footballer with 307 club caps

• Moledo
• Nadrupe, a village situated in the parish of Lourinhã

• Municipality official website