Alcobaça

Alcobaça is part of the district of Leiria, historical province of Extremadura, present-day Intermunicipal Community of the West, in central Portugal. Its municipality has about 54,965 inhabitants (2021 census) and 13 parishes, distributed over a territory of 408.14 km2.

Born in the valleys of the Rivers Alcoa and Baça, it is known that the area corresponding to the municipality of Alcobaça was inhabited by the Romans. However, it is the Arabs who populated the region that the denomination of the city- Alcobaça, as well as the two rivers, is due. The lands adjacent to it were also named with Moorish toponyms - Alfeizerão, Aljubarrota, Alpedriz, among others - and show us the importance of the region during the period of occupation of this civilization.

mosteiro de alcobaça

In 1153, the lands were given by Afonso Henriques to the monks of Cisterus, imposing on them the obligation to explore them. Throughout the various reigns, much of the territory of the west was ceded to this order which, in addition to its religious and cultural activity, sought to form the population through public classes in which they taught the disciplines of humanities, logic and theology, but also agricultural techniques, which had a great importance in the evolution of the region.
The occupation of these monks in the territory of Alcobaça has also left us a rich architectural legacy, full of Manueline details, which includes pillories, rural houses and agricultural annexes, such as pole vaults.

This area would have access to the sea, which formed a large lagoon there, called Lagoa da Pederneira (present-day Nazaré). In this, there was a port, and it would be from the same that fruit were transported from the region to the rest of the country. But the queen of these fruit products remains the apple, ex-libris of Alcobaça.

cornucópias de Alcobaça

Still at the gastronomic level, the convent ual sweets has a prominent place, fruit of the influence of monks in the region, being traditional the sponge cake of Alfeizerão, cornucopias, the gradinhas of Alcobaça, among many other sweets that can taste accompanied by a ginja, typical of the West zone and which is also produced here.
The fact that it is inserted between forest and river makes the municipality also differentiate itself by game meat and fresh fish. Accompany with the wines of Alcobacense production.

In tourism, there is no shortage of activities, routes and monuments of interest to visit in this city. From the great Monastery of Alcobaça, where are the tombs of D. Pedro and D. Inês de Castro; passing through numerous circuits and routes that allow you to know the natural and historical spaces of the county; until industrial tourism, to know the tradition associated with pottery and cutlery, there are many reasons to visit a municipality so rich in resources and history.

In the municipality of Alcobaça you will find all kinds of services and benefits of good and fast access to the rest of the country, as well as public transport that facilitate soothing within the city.

Source: Alcobaça Town Hall

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GNR

+351 262 580 100

Rua de Olivença

2460-035 Alcobaça

PSP

+351 262 505 650

Rua de Olivença

2460-035 Alcobaça

Hospital Bernardino Lopes de Oliveira

+351 262 590 400

Rua do Hospital, 7

2460-051 Alcobaça

Bombeiros Voluntários de Alcobaça

+351 262 505 300

Rua dos Bombeiros Voluntários

2461-997 Alcobaça

Turismo de Alcobaça

+351 924 032 615

Rua Araújo Guimarães

2460-025 Alcobaça

turismo@cm-alcobaca.pt

Câmara Municipal de Alcobaça

+351 262 580 800

Praça João de Deus Ramos

2461-501 Alcobaça

cmalcobaca@cm-alcobaca.pt Website