Idanha-a-Nova ( ), officially the Town of Idanha-a-Nova (), is a town and municipality in the district of Castelo Branco, in east-central

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. A border municipality with

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, the population of the municipality in 2011 was 9,716,Instituto Nacional de Estatística
/ref> in an area of 1416.34 km², making it one of the largest and least densely populated municipalities in Portugal as well as the first Portuguese municipality by population ageing. King Alfonso II (1211-1223) confirmed its charter in 1219 renaming the village with the current place names (Idanha-a-Nova) to distinguish it from the old Idanha (hereinafter Idanha-a-Velha), 18 kilometers away. The municipal holiday is the Monday 15 days after

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. The incumbent mayor is Armindo Moreira Palma Jacinto, representing the Socialist Party.

History

There are numerous prehistoric vestiges of human occupation throughout the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova (Idanha "the new"), such as

menhir A menhir (; from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large upright stone, emplaced in the ground by humans, typically dating from the European middle Br ...

s and

tapir Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...

s. The Romans had an important influence, namely in the civil parishes of

Monsanto The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed ...

, Idanha-a-Velha (Idanha "the old", formerly known as the Roman ''Civitas Igaeditanorum'' and the Germanic ''Egitânia'') and Ladoeiro and in the countryside around the town of Idanha-a-Nova proper, where there was a

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...

, immortalized in an ancient

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the

Suevi file:1st century Germani.png, 300px, The approximate positions of some Germanic peoples reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 1st century. Suebian peoples in red, and other Irminones in purple. The Suebi (also spelled Suavi, Suevi or Suebians ...

and

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

dominated, and is from that time the creation of the now extinct Bishopric of Egitânia. In terms of architectural heritage, Egitânia (Idanha-a-Velha) stands out as an archaeological site from the year 534, which was one of the most important cities in

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

at a time, with the remaining sections of Roman pavements and the Romanesque bridge, built over the Ponsul River. In 1187, a castle was built by Gualdim Pais, a Portuguese crusader, Knight Templar in the service of Afonso Henriques of Portugal. King Sancho I (1185-1211) granted Idanha a foral charter in 1201 in order to encourage the settlement and defence of the land. His successor, King Alfonso II (1211-1223) confirmed this charter in 1219 renaming the village with the current place names (Idanha-a-Nova) to distinguish it from the old Idanha (hereinafter Idanha-a-Velha), 18 kilometers away. The village of Idanha-a-Nova has developed a lot since then, at the same time Idanha-a-Velha went into steady decline. In the late fifteenth century, King

Manuel I of Portugal Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manu ...

(1495–1521), was surprised with the difference in the development of the two Idanhas (1496) and in June 1510, recognizing the progress of Idanha-a-Nova, granted it new charter. At this time, the town and its castle, including the layout, was recorded down by Duarte de Armas in his Book of Fortresses in 1509. A border municipality with Spain, the whole area was theatre of war, skirmishes and invasions throughout several periods in Portuguese history. A large part of the population of the entire area migrated to other parts of Portugal and foreign countries from the 1960s onwards. The massive exodus was due to economic reasons since the area remained cut-off from the rest of the country and neighboring Spain as well as largely underdeveloped throughout most of the 20th century. From the 2000s to the early 2020s, thanks to EU structural and cohesion funds, inland Portugal's settlement policies, the rise of tourism in Portugal and a wave of

foreign direct investment A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an ownership stake in a company, made by a foreign investor, company, or government from another country. More specifically, it describes a controlling ownership an asset in one country by an entity based i ...

, the depopulation phenomenon was mitigated but the municipality is still characterized by stagnation in population growth and intense population ageing.

Economy

The economy of the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova revolves around

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

and

agribusiness Agribusiness is the industry, enterprises, and the field of study of value chains in agriculture and in the bio-economy, in which case it is also called bio-business or bio-enterprise. The primary goal of agribusiness is to maximize profit ...

. The municipality has excelled in sustainable farming, crop seeds,

cheesemaking Cheesemaking (or caseiculture) is the craft of making cheese. The production of cheese, like many other food preservation processes, allows the nutritional and economic value of a food material, in this case milk, to be preserved in concentrate ...

and

horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

, as well as a center of

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

and

almond The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera ...

production and processing. The town of Idanha-a-Nova has a large variety of shops, cafés and restaurants. The largest

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

in the town is a Intermarché. The Marechal Carmona Dam, a

gravity dam A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...

, is within the municipality. Near the reservoir of this dam, on its left bank, the camping park of Idanha is found. The municipality of Idanha-a-Nova has hosted the internationally renowned Boom Festival since 2002. The Corpo Nacional de Escutas (CNE, National Corps of Scouts), the largest Portuguese scouting organization, has a major, permanent scout centre in the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova where Portugal's National Scout Jamboree (ACANAC) takes place. During both Boom Festival and the National Scout Jamboree (ACANAC), the population of the municipality temporarily increases several fold. Termas de Monfortinho

spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath, Somerset, Ba ...

is also located in the municipality.

Green Valley Food Lab

The Green Valley Food Lab is a

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

-based

business park A business park or office park is a designated area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. These types of developments are often located in suburban areas where land and building costs are more affordable, and are typically ...

in Idanha-a-Nova, which is an evolution of the previous award-winning rural-based incubator. It was designed by the local authorities of Idanha-a-Nova as a Portuguese "Silicon Valley" of the rural world. It has a business area of 800

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

s, which includes the properties of Couto da Várzea, Ribeiro do Freixo and Lombas, as well as the Agricultural Logistics Center of Ladoeiro. In terms of companies, by 2020, there were 55 companies located in the Green Valley Food Lab (22

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

producers, the largest continuous area of organic blueberry production in Europe; 60 hectares of Opuntia ficus-indica production; as well as genetic improvement of animal production;

aromatic herb An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing Volatility (chemistry), volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherol ...

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s; fruits and vegetables businesses). The Food Lab has developed partnerships with national and international entities to bring researchers to Idanha to help develop new ways of producing food in organic production at more competitive prices. In the Green Valley, the Collaborative Laboratory (CoLAB) of the Agência Nacional de Inovação (National Innovation Agency) operates Idanha Food Lab, which brings together 14 entities from

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and the business community and is managed by Food4Sustainability.

Education

Besides kindergarten and schools with classes from the 1st to the 12th grade, Idanha-a-Nova is home to an institution of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, the

business management Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

school of the Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality (''

concelho Concelho () is the Portuguese-language term for municipality, referring to the territorial subdivision in local government. In comparison, the word ''município'' () refers to the organs of State. This differentiation is still in use in Portugal ...

'') is divided into 13 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Aldeia de Santa Margarida * Idanha-a-Nova e Alcafozes (includes the town of Idanha-a-Nova, the seat of the municipality, and the village of Alcafozes) * Ladoeiro * Medelim * Monfortinho e Salvaterra do Extremo * Monsanto e Idanha-a-Velha * Oledo * Penha Garcia * Proença-a-Velha * Rosmaninhal * São Miguel de Acha * Toulões * Zebreira e Segura (includes the town of Zebreira)

Climate

Idanha-a-Nova has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Csa'') with cool to mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. The town is located at roughly altitude. Places at lower elevations (e.g. Ladoeiro, shown below) can get even hotter in the summer, with average daily temperatures rounding in July and August; experiencing on average 89 days with above 30 °C maximums and 54 days with below 0 °C minimums per year.

Notable individuals

Notable individuals of the municipality of Idanha-a-Nova include:

Olden times

Pope Damasus I Pope Damasus I (; c. 305 – 11 December 384), also known as Damasus of Rome, was the bishop of Rome from October 366 to his death in 384. It is claimed that he presided over the Council of Rome of 382 that determined the canon or official list ...

(ca.305 – 384) a Pope who was born in Egitânia or Vimaranes. * Amador of Portugal hermit and saint, born in

. * King Wamba (ca.643 – 687/688)

Visigothic The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied barbarian military group united under the comman ...

king, from 672 to 680; born in Egitânia (disputed). *

Roderic Roderic (also spelled Ruderic, Roderik, Roderich, or Roderick; Spanish language, Spanish and , ; died 711) was the Visigoths, Visigothic king in Hispania between 710 and 711. He is well known as "the last king of the Goths". He is actually an ex ...

king in

Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...

between 710 and 711, said to have been buried in Egitânia (disputed).

Modern times

* Teófilo Duarte (1898–1958) a colonial administrator, military officer and politician; supported the '' Estado Novo'' * Manuel de Paiva Boléo (1904–1992) was a professor of Romance philology and Portuguese

linguistics Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

. * Manuel d'Almeida Trindade (1918 in Monsanto – 2008) Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Aveiro * Luís Filipe de Castro Mendes (born 1950) Portuguese politician who served as

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organiza ...

References

External links

Town Hall official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of Castelo Branco District