Poortugaal
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Poortugaal is a
village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...
(''dorp'') that is situated near the municipality of
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
in the
South Holland South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...
province of the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. Together with neighbouring Rhoon, Poortugaal forms the municipality of
Albrandswaard Albrandswaard () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of as of , and covers an area of of which is water. The municipality of Albrandswaard consists of the villages o ...
. The village was first established in 15th century, following a royal
land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...
by the
Spanish Netherlands The Spanish Netherlands (; ; ; ) (historically in Spanish: , the name "Flanders" was used as a '' pars pro toto'') was the Habsburg Netherlands ruled by the Spanish branch of the Habsburgs from 1556 to 1714. They were a collection of States of t ...
to their local feudal vassals and supporters among the Dutch nobility. A Catholic church, a symbol of permanent settlements in the past, that dates to that period is found in the village centre. The origin of the name, ''Poortugaal'', and its presumed connection to the
Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal was a Portuguese monarchy, monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also known as the Kingdom of Portugal a ...
or the Portuguese is unclear. One theory links the similarity of Portugal's and Poortugaal's flags and
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
as an indication of local settlers' paying homage to fellow
crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...
who were from Portugal. Older depictions of the coat of arms also show a shield that resembles the
coat of arms of Portugal The coat of arms of Portugal also referred, in Portugal, as the ''quinas'' are the main heraldic insignia of Portugal. They are used by the Portuguese Armed Forces, military and the Government of Portugal, government, including the courts. Ther ...
even more than the current coat of arms of Poortugaal. The village flag is derived from the municipal coat of arms. The blue star is taken from the stars on the shields, which are shown without stars on the flag in the simplified coat of arms. The layout of the flag is thus very reminiscent of the flag of Kingdom of Portugal and the modern Portuguese flag. Since January 1, 1985, Poortugaal has been part of the municipality of
Albrandswaard Albrandswaard () is a municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of as of , and covers an area of of which is water. The municipality of Albrandswaard consists of the villages o ...
together with Rhoon. The village has a connection to the Rotterdam by
Rotterdam Metro The Rotterdam Metro () is a rapid transit system operated in Rotterdam, Netherlands and surrounding municipalities by RET. The first line, called ''Noord – Zuidlijn'' (North – South line) opened in 1968 and ran from Centraal Station to Zu ...
line D, through the Poortugaal station. 200px, left, View of Poortugaal.


References

Albrandswaard Populated places in South Holland Former municipalities of South Holland {{SouthHolland-geo-stub