Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region of

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 ...

. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...

, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own district and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima. The city is part of the historical

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Beira Litoral.

History

The region around Leiria has long been inhabited although its early history is obscure. The first evident inhabitants were the Turduli Oppidani, a

Celtici ] The Celtici (in Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish, and Galician languages, ) were a Celtic tribe or group of tribes of the Iberian Peninsula, inhabiting three definite areas: in what today are the regions of Alentejo and the Algarve in ...

tribe (akin to the

Lusitanians The Lusitanians were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European-speaking people living in the far west of the Iberian Peninsula, in present-day central Portugal and Extremadura and Castilla y Leon of Spain. It is uncertain whether the Lusitanians ...

), who established a settlement near (around 7 km) present-day Leiria. This settlement was later occupied by the Romans, who expanded it under the original Celtiberian name ''Collippo''. The stones of the ancient Roman town were used in the Middle Ages to build much of Leiria. LEIRIA E CASTELO

The name "Leiria" in Portuguese derives from 'leira' (from the medieval Galician-Portuguese form 'laria', from

proto-Celtic Proto-Celtic, or Common Celtic, is the hypothetical ancestral proto-language of all known Celtic languages, and a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. It is not attested in writing but has been partly Linguistic reconstruction, reconstructed throu ...

*ɸlār-yo-, akin to English 'floor(ing)',

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

'làr' 'ground, floor',

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

'leur' 'ground', Welsh 'llawr' 'floor') meaning an area with small farming plots. It was occupied by the

Suebi 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 ...

in 414 until they were forced by the Romans to retreat to Galicia and later incorporated by Leovigild into the

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 ...

kingdom in 585 A.D. Later the

Moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

occupied the area until it was re-captured by the first King of Portugal,

Afonso Henriques Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' ( Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on the Spanish or French influence ...

in 1135, during the

Reconquista The ''Reconquista'' (Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese for ) or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military and cultural campaigns that European Christian Reconquista#Northern Christian realms, kingdoms waged ag ...

. South of Leiria in that period was the so-called "no-man's land", until regions further south (like Santarém and

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

) were permanently taken and re-populated by the

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

. In 1142 Afonso Henriques gave Leiria its first ''

foral 200px, Foral of Castro Verde - Portugal The ''Carta de Foral'', or simply ''Foral'', was a royal document in Portugal and its former empire, whose purpose was to establish a ''concelho'' (Council) and regulate its administration, borders and priv ...

'' (compilation of feudal rights) to stimulate the colonisation of the region. LeiriaSquare

Both

Afonso I of Portugal Dom Afonso IOr also ''Affonso'' (Archaic Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonso'' (Portuguese-Galician languages, Portuguese-Galician) or ''Alphonsus'' (Latin version), sometimes rendered in English as ''Alphonzo'' or ''Alphonse'', depending on th ...

and Sancho I rebuilt the walls and the Leiria Castle to avoid new enemy incursions. Most of the population lived inside the protective city walls, but already in the 12th century part of the population lived outside the walls. The oldest church of Leiria, the Church of Saint Peter (''Igreja de São Pedro''), built in romanesque style in the last quarter of the 12th century, served the parish located outside the walls. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

the importance of the village increased, and it was the setting of several ''

cortes Cortes, Cortés, Cortês, Corts, or Cortès may refer to: People * Cortes (surname), including a list of people with the name ** Hernán Cortés (1485–1547), a Spanish conquistador Places * Cortes, Navarre, a village in the South border of ...

'' (feudal parliaments). The first of the ''cortes'' held in Leiria took place in 1245, under King Afonso II. In the early 14th century, the king restored the

keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...

tower of the

citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

of the castle, as can be seen in an inscription in the tower. He also built a royal residence in Leiria (now lost), and lived for long periods in the town, which he donated as feud to his wife,

Elizabeth of Portugal Elizabeth of Portugal (''Elisabet'' in Catalan, ''Isabel'' in Aragonese, Portuguese and Spanish; 1271 – 4 July 1336), also known as Elizabeth of Aragon, was Queen of Portugal from 1282 to 1325 as the wife of King Denis. She is venerated as ...

(Rainha Isabel). The king also ordered the plantation of the famous Pine Forest of Leiria (''Pinhal de Leiria'') near the coast. Later, the wood from this forest would be used to build the ships used in the Portuguese Navigations of the 15th and 16th centuries. In the late 14th century, King John I built a royal palace within the walls of the castle of Leiria. This palace, with elegant gothic galleries that offered wonderful views of the town and surrounding landscape, was totally in ruins but was partially rebuilt in the 20th century. John I also sponsored the rebuilding in late gothic style of the old Church of Our Lady of the Rock (''Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Pedra''), located inside the castle. CASTELO DE LEIRIA

Towards the end of the 15th century the town continued to grow, occupying the area from the castle hill down to the river Lis.

King Manuel I 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. Manue ...

gave it a new

in 1510, and, in 1545, it was elevated to the category of city and became see of a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...

. The Cathedral of Leiria was built in the second half of the 16th century in a mix of late

manueline The Manueline (, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manueline architecture inco ...

and

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

styles. Compared to the Middle Ages, the subsequent history of Leiria is of relative decay. The city was stormed by the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, namely in the French Invasions of 1808 (the killing of Portela, by the troops of Gen. Margaron) and the Great Fire of 1811, caused by the

Napoleonic Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led a series of mi ...

troops retreating from the

Lines of Torres Vedras The Lines of Torres Vedras were lines of forts and other military defences built in secrecy to defend Lisbon during the Peninsular War. Named after the nearby town of Torres Vedras, they were ordered by Arthur Wellesley, Viscount Wellington, c ...

. In the 20th century, however, its strategic position in the Portuguese territory favoured the development of a diversified

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

Geography

Leiria is located in western

Central Portugal The Central Region (, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Leiria, Castelo Branco and Guarda. It is one of the seven Regi ...

. The municipality borders the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest,

Marinha Grande Marinha Grande () is a municipality in the Leiria District, Portugal. The population in 2021 was 39,032, in an area of 187.25 km². The city itself has a population of 32,330. It is located right in the middle of the 700-year-old Leiria pine ...

to the west, Alcobaça to the southwest, Batalha to the south,

Ourém Ourém (, ), formerly known as Vila Nova de Ourém, is a municipality in the district of Santarém in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 45,932, in an area of 416.68 km2. The municipality of Ourém contains two cities: Ourém (about 12,000 ...

to the southeast, and Pombal to the north and northeast. The city is located about halfway between

and

Porto Porto (), also known in English language, English as Oporto, is the List of cities in Portugal, second largest city in Portugal, after Lisbon. It is the capital of the Porto District and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto c ...

. The distance to Lisbon is , to

and to

. The historic city centre spreads between the castle hill and the river

Lis LIS or LiS may refer to: Computing * LIS (programming language) * Lis (linear algebra library), library of iterative solvers for linear systems * Laboratory information system, databases oriented towards medical laboratories * Land information sys ...

. Leiria is also the seat of its own sub-region,

Região de Leiria The Comunidade Intermunicipal da Região de Leiria (; English: ''Leiria Region'') is an administrative division in western Portugal. It was created in 2014, replacing the former ''Associação de Municípios da Região de Leiria'' created in 2009 ...

, which includes the cities of

, Pombal as well the municipalities/town seats of Batalha, Alcobaça and

Porto de Mós Porto de Mós () is a town and a municipality of Estremadura province in Leiria District. It is in the Centro Region and the Pinhal Litoral subregion. The population in 2011 was 24,342, in an area of 261.83 km2. There were archeologic findings ...

located nearby.

Climate

The city of Leiria 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 ...

: ''Csb'') with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Its location near the Atlantic coast keeps temperature variation relatively minimal. The average annual temperature is around , varying between in January, to in August. Winters are mild and wet. On average, around 50% of the days receive some form of precipitation in this season. Average temperatures range between during the day and at night and can go below freezing (< ) on colder days, favoring the onset of

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...

or ice. Springs are pleasant, but usually rainy during the month of April. This season, though wet, is slightly drier than winter, with the majority of days receiving no precipitation. Average temperatures range between at day and at night. Summers bring high temperatures and sunshine. Precipitation, when present, mostly occurs in the form of

drizzle Drizzle is a light precipitation which consists of liquid water drops that are smaller than those of rain – generally smaller than in diameter. Drizzle is normally produced by low stratiform clouds and stratocumulus clouds. Precipitation r ...

, and accounts for only around 20% of days between June and September. Sunshine hours reach their maximum in August (which is sunny 70% of the time). Average temperatures range between at day and at night, the maximum can reach on the hottest days. Autumn, although mild, is the rainiest season of the year. Average temperatures range between and . Snowfalls in the city of Leiria typically occur once every 20 to 30 years. The last time it snowed in Leiria was on 29 January 2006, between 10 and 12 a.m., during which the temperature peaked at . The highest temperature recorded in Leiria was on 4 August 2018.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 18 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): * Amor * Arrabal * Bajouca * Bidoeira de Cima * Caranguejeira * Coimbrão * Colmeias e Memória * Leiria, Pousos, Barreira e Cortes * Maceira * Marrazes e Barosa * Milagres * Monte Real e Carvide * Monte Redondo e Carreira * Parceiros e Azoia * Regueira de Pontes * Santa Catarina da Serra e Chainça * Santa Eufémia e Boa Vista * Souto da Carpalhosa e Ortigosa

Politics

Gonçalo Lopes took office as the Mayor of Leiria on 26 August 2019, after the resignation of his predecessor. He was elected for a full term following the 2021 local elections.

Local election results 1976–2021

Demographics

Culture

In addition to being a site of historical interest, the castle of Leiria provides a venue for cultural events. Nearby is the Church of Saint Peter (''Igreja de São Pedro''), the site of the city's annual music festival. Leiria is home to the ''Museu da imagem em movimento'' (Museum of the Moving Image) as well as Portugal's restored first paper mill, ''Moinho do Papel'' (The Paper Mill), the Theatre Miguel Franco in the ''Mercado de Sant'Ana'' (Saint Anne's Market) and the Theatre José Lúcio da Silva are venues for theatrical, musical, cinematic and dance performances. Today the central square, ''Praça Francisco Rodrigues Lobo'', named after the Portuguese poet Francisco Rodrigues Lobo, is home to a thriving café culture, regularly used for cultural events. The city was the principal residence of the Portuguese king,

Denis Denis may refer to: People * Saint Denis of Paris, 3rd-century Christian martyr and first bishop of Paris * Denis the Areopagite, Biblical figure * Denis, Bishop of Győr (13th century), Hungarian prelate * Denis, son of Ampud (died 1236), bar ...

, who wrote

lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, t ...

in the

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

tradition, and briefly the home of the modern realist writer Eça de Queiroz, whose first novel, O Crime do Padre Amaro ("Father Amaro's Sin"), published in 1875, is set in the city. In October 2012, Leiria opened the city's "Centro Cívico", a modern architecture building, designed to have social impact on the community. This building has the life of Eça de Queiroz as a theme. In here, there's senior classes and ''Associação Fazer Avançar'' runs SPEAK, with support from EDP and

Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (), commonly referred to simply as the Gulbenkian Foundation, is a Portuguese institution dedicated to the promotion of the arts, philanthropy, science, and education. One of the wealthiest charitable founda ...

, among others. The city has several cultural entities like Leiria's Public Library Afonso Lopes Vieira, Arquivo, Ateneu, Leirena and O Nariz (theatre groups), Associação Fazer Avançar, FADE IN, Metamorfose, ECO and many others which make Leiria a culturally vibrant city, offering the busiest calendars of events. In recent years, Leiria has seen much redevelopment on the banks of the Lis River, with the creation of several new parks, public spaces, children's play areas, skateboard parks and a series of themed bridges. A long riverside promenade was built which is popular with walkers and joggers. Since 2010, Associação FADE IN organizes ENTREMURALHAS, one of the most important gothic festivals in the world (

List of gothic festivals The following is an incomplete list of gothic festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on gothic music. Goth festivals may feature genres such as gothic rock and gothic metal, as well as industrial music. The festivals also tend t ...

Gastronomy

Leiria's gastronomy offers a good variety of Portuguese dishes including fresh fish dishes and the famous "Leitão" da Boavista (barbecued piglet/

suckling pig A suckling pig is a Piglet (animal), piglet fed on its pig milk, mother's milk (i.e., a piglet which is still a "suckling"). In culinary contexts, a suckling pig is Animal slaughter, slaughtered between the ages of two and six weeks. It is trad ...

). The nearby village of Cortes is known for "

Migas Migas (, ) ("crumbs" in English language, English) is a dish traditionally made from stale bread and other ingredients in Spanish cuisine, Spanish and Portuguese cuisines. Originally introduced by shepherds, migas are very popular across the Ibe ...

", a dish of corn bread with spinach, garlic and olive oil which is eaten as an accompaniment to fish or meat. Typical Dishes: Morcela de Arroz; Lentriscas; Bacalhoada com migas; Bacalhau com feijão frade; Ossinhos; Fritada; Cabrito;

Feijoada Feijoada (, ; from , 'bean') is the name for varieties of bean stew with beef or porkBrisas do Lis; Lampreia de Ovos; Ovos Folhados; Bolinhos de Pinhão; Tarte de Chícharos (Alvaiázere); Canudos de Leiria; Doce de amêndoa; Broas Doces de Batata; Merendeiras dos Santos; Filhós de abóbora. Wines of the region: Caves Vidigal, S.A./ Vale da Mata, Cortes / Quinta da Serrinha (Vin Bio), Barreira / Santos & Santos, Torres Vedras / Quinta da Sapeira, Serra d'Aire / Paço Côrtes, Lda. IGP Lisboa, Sub-região Alta Estremadura. These wines are labeled D.O.C. (

Denominação de Origem Controlada The denominação de origem controlada (or DOC) is the system of protected designation of origin for fruit, wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products from Portugal. Wines Portuguese wine regions, as well as producers of several o ...

) which secures a superior quality. Also parte of the Portuguese wine region Encostas de Aire (DOC).

Panoramic view

Economy

Leiria has an economy concentrated on services and light industries. It has several industries related with plastics and moulds, as well as animal food, milling, cement, and civil construction, among other light industries. Agriculture, tourism, and state-run public services, such as education (including the Polytechnical Institute of Leiria), health (the district hospital ''Hospital de Santo André'') and general public administration, are an important part of Leiria's economy.

Monte Real Air Base Monte Real Air Base, officially designated as Air Force Base No. 5 (, BA5), is a Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) air base located in Monte Real, Leiria, Portugal. Its mission is to guarantee the readiness and deployment of the air force units based th ...

, a major

Military airbase An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...

of the

Portuguese Air Force The Portuguese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare force of Portugal. Locally it is referred to by the acronym FAP but internationally is often referred to by the acronym PRTAF. It is the youngest of the three branches of the Portuguese ...

Monte Real Monte Real is a town (''vila'' in Portuguese) and a former Freguesia (Portugal), civil parish in the municipality of Leiria, Portugal. In 2013, the parish merged into the new parish Monte Real e Carvide. It covers an area of 12.23 km2 and ha ...

, where all Portuguese

F16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolv ...

fighter squadrons are stationed, is also notable employer in the region. Castelo de Leiria 8

Transport

Leiria is connected to its suburbs and the rest of Portugal by a motorway network. There are four motorways passing the city; * A1 - Auto-estrada do Norte linking

, passing by Leiria. * A8 linking Leiria to Lisbon. * A17 linking

to Aveiro. * A19, linking Leiria and Batalha, using part of the IC2. There is a railway ''Linha do Oeste'' (west railway line linking Cacém (

Sintra Sintra (, ), officially the Town of Sintra (), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of . Sintra is one of the ...

/Lisbon area) to

Figueira da Foz Figueira da Foz (), officially Figueira da Foz City (), often called simply Figueira for short, is a city and a municipality in the Coimbra District, in Portugal. Practically at the midpoint of the Iberian Peninsula's Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coa ...

) which serves the central western coast of Portugal. Leiria railway station is a few km from the city centre (about 2 km). The main bus station service is in the city centre. The bus service, called Mobilis, is composed by 9 lines connecting surrounding neighbourhoods and parishes of Leiria with the city centre. This includes two bus loops and a specific line (uMob) that connects the city centre with Campus 1 and 2 of the Instituto Politécnico de Leiria. There is a small

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

(''Aérodromo José Ferrinho''), used for sports and recreation.

Leiria-based newspapers

* Região de Leiria – Weekly * Jornal de Leiria – Weekly * Diário de Leiria – Daily * O Mensageiro – Monthly - closed

Education

Leiria hosts a national public

polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...

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 Instituto Politécnico de Leiria which has 5 campuses, 3 of them located in Leiria. * Campus 1 - School of Education and Social Sciences (ESECS). * Campus 2 - School of Technology and Management (ESTG) and the School Of Health Sciences (ESS) * Campus 5 - Institute for Research, Development and Advanced Studies (INDEA), the Training Centre for the Courses of Technology Specialization (FOR.CET) with around 900 students, the Centre of New Opportunities (CNO), a Transfer Technology and Information Center (OTIC) and an E-Learning Unit (UED). There is also a private institution, o Instituto Superior de Línguas e Administração (ISLA). In

Secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

, Leiria has the following schools, the first two in the center, the last in the outskirts. * Escola Secundária de Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (former Liceu) * Escola Secundária de Domingos Sequeira (former Escola Comercial) * Escola Secundária de Afonso Lopes Vieira, in Gândara dos Olivais, Marrazes. In

Primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

, Leiria has the following schools, teaching from the 5th grade until 9th grade. * Escola D. Dinis * Escola Correia Mateus (with 1st cycle) * Escola José Saraiva * Escola de Marrazes * Colégio Dinis de Melo * Colégio Senhor dos Milagres Besides this there are multiple schools in the Municipality for the 1st cycle, from 1st grade until 4th grade.

Sport

The city of Leiria has its own

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, the União Desportiva de Leiria, commonly called just União de Leiria. It currently plays at the second level of Portuguese football, in Liga 2, but recently spent 16 seasons in the

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

. An important facility is the '' Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa'', situated close to Leiria castle. The modern stadium has a capacity for 23,888 people and was built for the

UEFA Euro 2004 The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro 2004, was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Championship, a quadrennial association football, football competition contested by the List of men's national associatio ...

. Efforts were made to sell it, as its debt (nearly €50M) overburdens the city finances, União de Leiria rents the stadium, but played the 2011-12 season in

Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande Estádio Municipal da Marinha Grande is a football stadium in Marinha Grande, Portugal. It hosts football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a go ...

due to a rent dispute. The

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

football in Leiria is managed by the

Leiria Football Association The Leiria Football Association () is one of the 22 District Football Associations that are affiliated with the Portuguese Football Federation. The AF Leiria administers lower-tier football in the district of Leiria. On 5 January 2014 Leiria FA ...

, overseeing the regional leagues. Regarding other sports, Leiria has a notable women's handball team,

Juve Lis Juventude Desportiva do Lis, better known as Juve Lis, is a Portuguese handball from Leiria established in 1985. It is best known for its women's team, which made its international debut in 2003, in the Cup Winners' Cup. It subsequently made fiv ...

, which plays in the Women's Handball League, and also participated in EHF competitions. Since 2013 Leiria has had a chess academy (Academia de Xadrez) offered as an activity for young people by the Corvos do Lis. Enrolled students have won titles in National Competitions: second place by teams under 12 years old in 2014 and 2015 and a National Champion, (Blitz, 2013, Under 8) and (Super Rapid play, 2015, under 10). They work with many primary schools in the region teaching chess, considering it a useful complement to developing intellectual skills. Leiria also holds other facilities that can host different sport activities. They are Campo Futebol Aldeia do Desporto, Centro Nacional de Lançamentos, Pavilhão Gimnodesportivo dos Pousos (and adjacent Campo da Charneca), and Pavilhão do Lis. The latter was recognized by the Portuguese Paralympic Committee has the first

paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

inclusive venue of its kind in Portugal. Leiria was chosen as one of the European Cities of Sport in 2022.

International relations

According to the National Association of Portuguese Municipalities, Leiria is twinned with: *

Tokushima is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

, Japan (since 1969) *

Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...

, Portugal (since 1982) *

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés Saint-Maur-des-Fossés () is a Communes of France, commune in Val-de-Marne, the southeastern suburbs of Paris, suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. History Abbey Saint-Maur-des-Fossés owes its name to Saint-Maur A ...

, France (since 1982) *

Maringá Maringá () is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in southern Brazil founded on 10 May 1947 as a planned urban area. It is the third largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná, with 385,753 inhabitants in the city proper, and 76 ...

, Brazil (since 1982) *

Olivenza Olivenza () or Olivença () is a town in southwestern Spain, close to the Portugal–Spain border. It is a municipality belonging to the province of Badajoz, and to the wider autonomous community of Extremadura. The town of Olivença was und ...

, Spain (since 1984) * Olavarría, Argentina (since 1992) * São Filipe, Cape Verde (since 1994) *

Rheine Rheine () is a city in the district of Steinfurt (district), Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base. Geography Rheine is on the river Ems (river), Ems, about north of Münster ...

, Germany (since 1996) * Halton, United Kingdom (since 1997) *

Tongling Tongling () is a prefecture-level city in southern Anhui province of China. A river port along the Yangtze River, Tongling borders Wuhu to the east, Chizhou to the southwest and Anqing to the west. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1, ...

, China (since 1999) *

Nampula Nampula is the capital city of Nampula Province in Northern Mozambique. With a population of 743,125 (2017 census), it is the third-largest city in Mozambique after Maputo and Matola. The city is located in the interior of Nampula Province, appro ...

, Mozambique (since 2002) * Quint-Fonsegrives, France (since 2010) * Penglai, China (since 2014)

Notable people

* Francisco Rodrigues Lobo (1580–1622), the ''Portuguese

Theocritus Theocritus (; , ''Theokritos''; ; born 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily, Magna Graecia, and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry. Life Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from his writings ...

'', a poet and

bucolic The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target aud ...

writer. * Adriano Sousa Lopes (1879-1944), a Portuguese

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

painter and engraver * Lino António (1898–1974), an artist using

frescoes, he made many friezes, frescos, stained glass and ceramic panels for public buildings * Fabricio Soares (1918-1986), a Portuguese

agronomist An agriculturist, agriculturalist, agrologist, or agronomist (abbreviated as agr.) is a professional in the science, practice, and management of agriculture and agribusiness. It is a regulated profession in Canada, India, the Philippines, the Uni ...

, he researched Black pod disease *

José Hermano Saraiva José Hermano Saraiva GCIH • GCIP (3 October 1919 – 20 July 2012) was a Portuguese professor, historian and jurist. He was most known as a television personality in Portugal, having been the author and presenter of several documentary se ...

(1919–2012), a Portuguese professor, historian, jurist and TV personality * António Campos (1922–1999), a pioneer filmmaker of

visual anthropology Visual anthropology is a subfield of social anthropology that is concerned, in part, with the study and production of ethnography, ethnographic photography, film and, since the mid-1990s, new media. More recently it has been used by historians ...

. * António Cardoso e Cunha (1933–2021), politician, Govt. minister & first European Commissioner. *

António-Pedro Vasconcelos António-Pedro Saraiva de Barros e Vasconcelos Order of Infante D. Henrique, GCIH (10 March 1939 – 5 March 2024) was a Portuguese film director. Personal life Vasconcelos was the middle of three sons of Guilherme de Barros e Vasconcelos (Celo ...

(born 1939), a Portuguese film director. António-Pedro Vasconcelos, IMDb Database
retrieved 23 July 2021. * Joaquim Justino Carreira (1950−2013), Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarulhos The Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarulhos () is a diocese located in the city of Guarulhos in the ecclesiastical province of São Paulo in Brazil. History * 30 January 1981: Established as Diocese of Guarulhos from the Diocese of Mogi das Cruzes ...

, Brazil. *

José António Vieira da Silva José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''J ...

(born 1953), a Portuguese politician and Govt. minister, 2015-2019 * António Lacerda Sales (born 1962), a Portuguese politician and Secretary of State, 2019-2022. *

David Fonseca David Fonseca (, born on 14 June 1973, in Leiria) is a Portuguese musician, singer-songwriter, and photographer. As a musician, he plays several instruments, including acoustic guitar and organ. He is recognized for his successful music career ...

(born 1973), a musician, singer-songwriter and photographer. * Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born 1987), known as ''KURA'', an

electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...

music DJ and producer.

Sport

* Rui António da Cruz Ferreira (born 1960), known as ''Nascimento'', a retired footballer with 345 club caps *

Vânia Silva Vânia Sofia de Sousa Silva (born 8 June 1980) is a Portuguese female hammer thrower. Her personal best throw is 69.55 metres, achieved in May 2011 in Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal. She competed at the World Championships in 2001, 2003, 2 ...

(born 1980), a female hammer thrower * João Paulo Andrade (born 1981), a Portuguese footballer with over 380 club caps *

Rui Patrício Rui Pedro dos Santos Patrício (; born 15 February 1988) is a Portuguese professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for UAE Pro League side Al Ain and the Portugal national team. He is often nicknamed "São Patrício" (''St.'' ''Patric ...

(born 1988), a football goalkeeper with over 430 club caps and 97 for

* Irina Rodrigues (born 1991), a female

discus thrower The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field sport in which the participant athlete throws an oblate spheroid weight called a discus in an attempt to mark a further distance than other competitors. It is an ancient sport, ...

* João Vieira (born 1991), a Portuguese footballer with over 250 club caps *

Ivan Domingues Ivan Franco Domingues (born 5 May 2006) is a Portuguese people, Portuguese racing driver who competes in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Van Amersfoort Racing. He most recently competed in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship ...

(born 2006), racing driver

References

External links

*
Municipality of Leiria

Mobilis Municipal Bus (in Portuguese)

Portal of Leiria (Business and Social Network)

Photos from Leiria

2009 European Team Championships
{{authority control Populated places in Leiria District Cities in Portugal Municipalities of Leiria District

History

Geography

Climate

Parishes

Politics

Local election results 1976–2021

Demographics

Culture

Gastronomy

Panoramic view

Economy

Transport

Leiria-based newspapers

Education

Sport

International relations

Notable people

Sport

See also

References

External links