Cascais | |
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     .jpg) Clockwise: Along the coast west ofBoca do Inferno; Palacete Seixas;King Carlos I Ave.;Praia do Guincho;Marechal Carmona Park; View of Cascais and Estoril. | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Cascais | |
  Cascais Location in Portugal | |
| Coordinates:38°42′N9°25′W / 38.700°N 9.417°W /38.700; -9.417 | |
| Country |  Portugal |
| Region | Lisbon |
| Metropolitan area | Lisbon |
| District | Lisbon |
| Parishes | 4 |
| Government | |
| • President | Carlos Carreiras (PSD-CDS–PP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 97.40 km2 (37.61 sq mi) |
| Population (2021) | |
• Total | 214,158 |
| • Density | 2,199/km2 (5,695/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+00:00 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+01:00 (WEST) |
| Postal code | 2750 |
| Area code | 214 |
| Patron | Saint Anthony |
| Website | www |
Cascais (European Portuguese pronunciation:[kɐʃˈkajʃ]ⓘ) is a town and municipality in theLisbon District ofPortugal, located on theEstoril Coast. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants[1] in an area of 97.40 km2.[2] Cascais is an importanttourist destination. Itsmarina hosts events such as theAmerica's Cup and the town ofEstoril, part of the Cascais municipality, hosts conferences such as theHorasis Global Meeting.
Since the 1870s, Cascais has been a popular seaside resort after KingLuís I of Portugal and thePortuguese royal family made the seaside town their residence every September, thus also attracting members of thePortuguese nobility, who established a summer community there. Cascais is known for the many members of royalty who have lived there, including KingEdward VIII of the United Kingdom, when he was the Duke of Windsor, KingJuan Carlos I of Spain, and KingUmberto II of Italy. Former Cuban presidentFulgencio Batista was also once a resident of the municipality. TheCasino Estoril inspiredIan Fleming's firstJames Bond novel,Casino Royale.[3]
The municipality is one of the wealthiest in both Portugal and theIberian Peninsula.[4][5][6][7] It has one of the most expensive real estate markets and one of the highest costs of living in the country,[8][9][10][11] and is consistently ranked highly for its quality of life.[12][13]
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Human settlement of the territory today known as Cascais dates to the latePaleolithic, as indicated by remnants encountered in the north of Talaíde, in Alto do Cabecinho (Tires) and south of Moinhos do Cabreiro.[14] It was during theNeolithic that permanent settlements were established in the region, their inhabitants utilizing the natural grottoes (such as theCaves of Poço Velho in Cascais) and artificial shelters (like those inAlapraia or São Pedro) to deposit their dead. The bodies were buried along with offerings, a practice that continued to theChalcolithic.[14]
Roman interventions in the area occurred with the settlement of thevillae ofFreiria (today São Domingos de Rana) andCasais Velhos (Charneca), evidence for which includes a group of ten tanks discovered along theRua Marques Leal Pancada in Cascais, which was the location of a salting factory for fish.[14] Roman dominion over the territory also influenced place names in the region, as was the case with the word "Caparide" (from the Latincapparis, meaning "caper"), as well as several inscriptions associated with funerary graves.[14]
TheVisigoths also left their mark especially on the Visigothic Cemetery of Alcoitão,[15] as well as in the late-Roman and medieval necropolis of Talaíde.[16][17]
Similarly, Muslim settlers in the region left their mark on local place names, including "Alcoitão" and "Alcabideche", where the romantic poet Ibn Muqana al-Qabdaqi, who wrote of the region's agriculture and windmills, was born at the beginning of the 11th century.[14] The discovery of several corpses in 1987 at Arneiro, inCarcavelos, led to the identification of fifteen burials that, due to their characteristics, made it possible to verify that the individuals buried there were ofBerber origin.[18]
The development of Cascais began in earnest in the 12th century, when it was administratively subordinate to the town ofSintra, located to the north. In its humble beginnings, Cascais depended on the products of the sea and land, but by the 13th century its fish production was also supplying the nearby city ofLisbon. The toponym "Cascais" appears to derive from this period, a plural derivation ofcascal (monte de cascas) which signified a "mountain of shells", referring to the abundant volume of marine mollusks harvested from the coastal waters.[14] During the 14th century, the population spread outside the walls of itsfortress castle.
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The settlement's prosperity led to its administrative independence from Sintra in 1364. On 7 June 1364, the people of Cascais obtained fromKing Peter I the elevation of the village to the status of town, necessitating the appointment of local judges and administrators. The townspeople were consequently obligated to pay the Crown 200 pounds of gold annually, as well as bearing the expense of paying the local administrators' salaries. Owing to the regions' wealth, these obligations were easily satisfied.[14] The town and the surrounding lands were owned by a succession of feudal lords, the most famous of whom wasJoão das Regras (died 1404), a lawyer and professor of theUniversity of Lisbon who was involved in the ascension ofKing John I to power as the first King of theHouse of Aviz.
The castle of Cascais was likely constructed during this period, since by 1370, KingFerdinand had donated the castle and Cascais to Gomes Lourenço de Avelar to hold as a seigneurial fiefdom.[14] These privileges were then passed on to his successors, among them João das Regras and the Counts of Monsanto, and later the Marquess of Cascais.[14] Meanwhile, despite its conquest and sack byCastilian forces in 1373, and blockade of the port in 1382 and 1384, Cascais continued to grow beyond its walls.[14] By the end of the 14th century, this resulted in the creation of theparishes of Santa Maria de Cascais,São Vicente de Alcabideche andSão Domingos de Rana.[14]
From theMiddle Ages onward, Cascais depended on fishing, maritime commerce (it was a stop for ships sailing to Lisbon), and agriculture, producingwine,olive oil, cereals, and fruits. Due to its location at the mouth of theTagus estuary, it was also seen as a strategic post in the defence of Lisbon. Around 1488,King John II built a small fortress in the town, situated by the sea. On 15 November 1514,Manuel I conceded aforal (charter) to Cascais, instituting the region's municipal authority.[14] It was followed on 11 June 1551 by a license fromKing John III to institutionalise theSanta Casa da Misericórdia de Cascais.[14] TheMother Church of Cascais, theChurch of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, dates back to the early 16th century. The town's medieval fortress was inadequate to repel invasions, and in 1580 Spanish troops led by the Duque of Alba took the village during the conflict that led to theunion of the Portuguese and Spanish crowns. The fortress was enlarged towards the end of the 16th century byKing Philip I (Philip II of Spain), turning it into a typicalRenaissancecitadel with the characteristic flat profile and star-shapedfloorplan. Following the Portuguese restoration in 1640, a dozen bulwarks and redoubts were constructed under the direction of theCount of Cantanhede, who oversaw the defences of the Tagus estuary, the gateway to the city of Lisbon.[14] Of these structures, thecitadel of Cascais, which was constructed alongside the fortress of Our Lady of Light, considerably reinforced the strategic defences of the coast.[14]
In 1755, the greatLisbon earthquake destroyed a large portion of the city. Around 1774, theMarquis of Pombal, prime-minister ofKing José I, took protective measures for the commercialisation of the wine ofCarcavelos and established the Royal Factory of Wool in the village, which existed until the early 19th century. During theinvasion of Portugal by Napoleonic troops in 1807, the citadel of Cascais was occupied by theFrench, withGeneral Junot staying some time in the village.
In 1862, theVisconde da Luz built a summer house in Cascais. He and a group of friends also organized the construction of a road from Cascais toOeiras, effectively linking Cascais to Lisbon, and also promoted other improvements to the town. As a result of these improvement,King Luís I decided to make Cascais into his summer residence and, from 1870 to 1908, the Portuguese royal family from theHouse of Braganza-Saxe-Coburg and Gotha spent part of the summer in Cascais to enjoy the sea, turning the quiet fishing village into a cosmopolitan address. Thanks to King Luís, the citadel was equipped with the country's firstelectric lights in 1878. Cascais also benefited from the construction of a better road to Sintra, abullfight ring,a sports club, and improvements to basic infrastructure for the population. Many noble families built impressive mansions in an eclectic style commonly referred to assummer architecture, many of which are still to be seen in the town centre and environs. The first railway arrived in 1889. Another important step in the development of the area was made in the first half of the 20th century with the building of a casino and infrastructure in neighbouringEstoril.
In 1882 Cascais installed one of the firsttide gauges in Europe in order to assist with navigation into the port of Lisbon. In 1896,King Carlos I, a lover of all maritime activities, installed in the citadel the first oceanographic laboratory in Portugal. The King himself led a total of 12 scientific expeditions to the coast; these ended in 1908 after hisassassination in Lisbon.
Due to Portugal'sneutrality in World War II and the town's elegance and royal past, Cascais became home to many of the exiled royal families of Europe, including those of Spain (House of Bourbon), Italy (House of Savoy), Hungary and Bulgaria. Their stories are told at theExiles Memorial Centre.
Nowadays, Cascais and its surroundings are a popular vacation spot for the Portuguese as well as for the internationaljet set and regular foreign tourists, all of them drawn by its fine beaches. The town hosts many international events, including sailing and surfing. In 2018 it was theEuropean Youth Capital.
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Cascais is situated on the western edge of the Tagus estuary, between the Sintra mountains and the Atlantic Ocean; the territory occupied by the municipality is limited in the north by the municipality ofSintra, south and west by the ocean, and east by the municipality ofOeiras.[14]
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 4 civil parishes (freguesias),[19] with municipal authority vested in theCâmara Municipal of Cascais:
Cascais' coastline is home to 17 beaches.[20] These are:
Guincho Beach and Carcavelos Beach are especially well known as good surf spots. Close to Praia do Guincho is theCresmina Dune, which is an unstable dune system due to the constant drifting of sand particles caused by strong winds.
Cascais has awarm-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen:Csb,Trewartha:Csbl),[21] with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. Moderated by theAtlantic and the typicalurban heat island of a city, temperatures in Cascais rarely get below 5 °C (41 °F) or above 30 °C (86 °F).
| Climate data forMonte Estoril, 1931-1960 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) | 23.5 (74.3) | 27.6 (81.7) | 32.1 (89.8) | 34.0 (93.2) | 39.2 (102.6) | 38.9 (102.0) | 39.5 (103.1) | 35.3 (95.5) | 34.8 (94.6) | 28.2 (82.8) | 22.2 (72.0) | 39.5 (103.1) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.9 (58.8) | 15.8 (60.4) | 17.3 (63.1) | 19.4 (66.9) | 20.8 (69.4) | 23.6 (74.5) | 25.7 (78.3) | 26.0 (78.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 18.4 (65.1) | 15.7 (60.3) | 20.4 (68.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.8 (53.2) | 12.3 (54.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 15.7 (60.3) | 17.1 (62.8) | 19.6 (67.3) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21.7 (71.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 18.3 (64.9) | 15.0 (59.0) | 12.4 (54.3) | 16.7 (62.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) | 8.8 (47.8) | 10.6 (51.1) | 12.0 (53.6) | 13.4 (56.1) | 15.6 (60.1) | 17.0 (62.6) | 17.4 (63.3) | 16.8 (62.2) | 14.6 (58.3) | 11.7 (53.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 13.0 (55.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | −0.9 (30.4) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.8 (42.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.4 (50.7) | 12.6 (54.7) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11.0 (51.8) | 8.3 (46.9) | 3.0 (37.4) | −0.9 (30.4) | −0.9 (30.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 97.0 (3.82) | 67.6 (2.66) | 91.0 (3.58) | 49.6 (1.95) | 38.0 (1.50) | 13.0 (0.51) | 2.4 (0.09) | 4.4 (0.17) | 28.6 (1.13) | 68.4 (2.69) | 82.3 (3.24) | 93.9 (3.70) | 636.2 (25.04) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 14 | 11 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 106 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 82 | 77 | 78 | 73 | 74 | 74 | 71 | 73 | 75 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 76 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 161.1 | 183.0 | 209.1 | 275.7 | 315.6 | 342.8 | 383.7 | 356.6 | 279.1 | 234.9 | 184.2 | 162.8 | 3,088.6 |
| Percentagepossible sunshine | 53 | 60 | 56 | 70 | 71 | 77 | 85 | 84 | 75 | 68 | 61 | 55 | 68 |
| Source:Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera[22][23] | |||||||||||||
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| Source: INE[24] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cascais is easily reached from Lisbon by car on the A5 Lisbon-Cascais highway, or alternatively on the scenic "marginal" road, as well as by frequent inexpensivecommuter trains. Taxis are also a common and inexpensive mode of transport in the area. The city has the ruins of acastle, anart museum and anocean museum, as well as parks and the cobbled streets of the historic centre. The town has many hotels and tourist apartments as well as many good restaurants of varying cost. It is a fine base to use for those visiting Lisbon and its environs who prefer to stay outside of the city.
Cascais ranks ninth in population density and sixth in percentage of population employed among Portuguese municipalities.[25]
Cascais is surrounded by popular beaches.Guincho Beach to the northwest is primarily asurfing,windsurfing, andkitesurfing beach because of the prevailing winds and sea swells, while the calm waters of the beaches to the east attract sunbathers. The lushSintra mountains to the north are a further attraction. The shoreline to the west has cliffs, attracting tourists who come for the panoramic views of the sea and other natural sights such as theBoca do Inferno. It is also becoming a popular golf destination, with over 10golf courses nearby.
A largemarina with 650 berths was opened in 1999 and has since held many sailing events. It was the official host of the2007 ISAF Sailing World Championships for dinghies and racing yachts. The municipality also hosts internationaltennis and motorcycling events and for many years hosted theFIA F1 Portugal Grand Prix at theEstoril race track. TheEstoril Casino is one of the largest in Europe. Near the casino is the"Hotel Palácio" (Palace Hotel), where scenes of theJames Bond movieOn Her Majesty's Secret Service were shot.
In 2017, the municipality started charging a small tourist tax, as the city had become one of the most visited destinations in Portugal. It is estimated that around 1.2 million tourists stay in the city's hotels each year (2016).[26]
TheCascais Aerodrome in Tires (São Domingos de Rana) servesgeneral aviation and also offers domestic scheduled flights byAero VIP.
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(May 2016) |
TheCarcavelos community houses theSaint Julian's School, a British international school.
TheEstoril community hosts a kindergarten and elementary school campus of theGerman School of Lisbon.[27]
Outeiro de Polima,São Domingos de Rana, in Cascais, housesSaint Dominic's International School.[28]
TheGil Vicente theatre dates back to 1869. In its early years it was frequently attended by Portugal's royal family. The Cascais Experimental Theatre was established in 1965 and has presented more than a hundred shows since then. Over the years Cascais has developed several art galleries and museums. These are concentrated in a relatively small area of the town, mainly in parkland. Combined, they are known as The Museum Quarter.[29] Several occupy large buildings that were formerly private residences and were subsequently taken over and restored by the Municipality. Entrance is either free or for a small fee (usually not more than €4). The galleries and museums are:
Art galleries
Museums
Biarritz, France, since 1986
Vitória, Brazil, since 1986
Santana, São Tomé and Príncipe, since 1986
Atami, Japan, since 1990
Wuxi, China, since 1993
Sal, Cape Verde, since 1993
Gaza City, Palestine, since 2000Guarujá, Brazil, since 2000
Xai-Xai, Mozambique, since 2000
Sausalito, United States, since 2012
Ungheni, Moldova, since 2012Campinas, Brazil, since 2012
Sinaia, Romania, since 2018Pampilhosa da Serra, Portugal, since 2018
Bucha, Ukraine, since 2022
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