View source for Loulé

{{Infobox Portuguese subdivision
| type            = municipality
| name                    = Loulé
| image_skyline           = {{Photomontage
| photo1a                 = Marina de Cavacos, Quarteira (36887717511) (cropped).jpg
| photo2a                 = Loulé DSC 0510 (36887347823) (cropped).jpg
| photo2b                 = Loulé DSC 0497 (23704971258).jpg
| photo2c                 = Petite rue à Querença (Portugal) (318491205) (cropped).jpg
| photo3a = Loule (Portugal) (49836185578).jpg
| photo3b = Loule (Portugal) (40661376180).jpg
| photo4a                 = Portugal - Faro district - 2014 086.JPG
| photo4b                 = Ilha de Faro - Portugal (8623008636).jpg
| spacing                 = 2
| position                = center
| color_border            = white
| color                   = white
| size                    = 280
| foot_montage            =
}}
| image_flag              = Pt-lle3.png
| image_shield            = COA of Loulé municipality (Portugal).png
| image_map               = LocalLoule.svg
| map_caption             = Location of the municipality of Loulé in continental Portugal
| coordinates             = {{coord|37|09|N|8|00|W|type:adm1st_region:PT_dim:100000|display=inline,title}}
|region             = [[Algarve]]
|CIM                = [[Algarve]]
|district           = [[Faro District|Faro]]
|parishes           = [[#Geography|9]]
| established_date        = Settlement: Late [[Paleolithic]]<br/>[[Foral]]: c. 1249
| leader_party            = [[Socialist Party (Portugal)|PS]]
| leader_name             = Vitor Manuel Gonçalves Aleixo<!-- add &nbsp; (no-break space) to disable automatic links -->
| area_total_km2          = 763.67<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
| elevation_m             = 49
<!-- | population_footnotes    = [[Instituto Nacional de Estatística]]<ref name="INE">{{citation |url=http://www.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=INE&xpgid=ine_publicacoes&PUBLICACOESpub_boui=131011251&PUBLICACOEStema=5414321&PUBLICACOESmodo=2 |title=Censos 2011 - Resultadas Preliminares |publisher=Instituto Nacional de Estatística |location=Lisbon, Portugal |language=pt |access-date=1 January 2012 |year=2010 |editor=INE |editor-link=Instituto Nacional de Estatística}}</ref> for references: use <ref> tags -->
| population_total        = 72373
| population_as_of        = 2021
| postal_code             = 8104-001
| area_code               = 289
|image_caption=Views of Loulé Municipality. The image on top is the seaside town of Quarteira. The seat of the municipality, the city of Loulé proper, is about 10 kilometres inland from the nearest coast.| holiday                 = [[Feast of the Ascension|Ascension]]
| patron                  = [[Blessed Virgin Mary|Nossa Senhora da Piedade]]<!-- etc., up to blank7_name_sec1 / blank7_info_sec1 -->
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.cm-loule.pt}}<!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
<!-- | footnotes               = Geographic detail from CAOP (2010) produced by Instituto Geográfico Português (IGP)<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.igeo.pt/produtos/cadastro/caop/download/Areas_Freg_Mun_Dist_CAOP2010.zip|title=Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal|publisher=Instituto Geográfico Português|location=Lisbon, Portugal|language=pt|access-date=1 January 2012|year=2010|editor=IGP}}</ref> -->
}}
'''Loulé''' ({{IPA|pt-PT|loˈlɛ|local|Pt-pt Loulé FF.ogg}}) is a city and [[Concelho|municipality]] in the region of [[Algarve]], [[Faro District|district of Faro]], [[Portugal]].<ref>Detail Regional Map, Algarve: Southern Portugal, {{ISBN|3-8297-6235-6}}</ref> In 2021, the population of the entire municipality was 72,373 inhabitants,<ref>[https://www.ccdr-alg.pt/site/info/algarve-censos-2021-resultados-preliminares CCDR Algarve]</ref> in an area of approximately {{convert|763.67|km2|mi2}}.<ref name="dgt">{{Cite web |url=http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |title=Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país |access-date=2018-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105172426/http://www.dgterritorio.pt/cartografia_e_geodesia/cartografia/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal_caop_/caop__download_/carta_administrativa_oficial_de_portugal___versao_2017__em_vigor_/ |archive-date=2018-11-05 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The municipality has two principal cities: Loulé (the seat of the municipality) and [[Quarteira]].
==History==
[[File:Cerro da Vila (36343351391).jpg|235px|left|thumb|Ruins of the Roman settlement of Cerro da Vila]]
Human presence in the territory of Loulé remotes to the Later Paleolithic.<ref name="CML">{{cite web |url=http://www.cm-loule.pt/pt/menu/23/historia.aspx |title=História |location=Loulé, Portugal |publisher=Município de Loulé |year=2018 |language=pt}}</ref> The growth of the settlement of Loulé likely stemmed from the late Neolithic, when small bands began rotating agricultural crops and herds around numerous subterranean cavities in its proximity (specifically around Goldra, Esparguina and Matos da Nora).<ref name=CML/> Within the following millennium, the settlements began to grow and intensify with spread of Mediterranean cultures, that progressively penetrated the southwestern part of the peninsula.<ref name=CML/> This culminated in the arrival of the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, who founded the first trading posts along the maritime coast, increasing fishing, prospecting for minerals and commercial activities.<ref name=CML/>
[[File:Loule Church - The Algarve, Portugal (1399505908).jpg|235px|left|thumb|[[São Clemente (Loulé)|St. Clemens Church]] belfry is an original minaret of a [[List of former mosques in Portugal|former Moor mosque]] in Loulé.<ref name="a1" />]]After the 2nd century Punic War, the Roman provided a new impulse to economic activities, expanding the canning industry, agriculture and exploration of copper and iron.<ref name=CML/> In the urban area of Loulé, a sculpted altar to the Goddess Diana, the rustic villages of Clareanes and Apra, and necropolises suggested the extent of Roman occupation.<ref name=CML/> In the 5th century, the Suevians and Vandals, and later the Visigoths, destroyed many of the vestiges of Roman Empire, adapting and assimilating these earlier models of settlement and the cultural experiences of the native populations.<ref name=CML/>
The arrival of Muslim Moors, in the 8th century, lead to the rise of the historic Al-'Ulya' (Loulé), consisting of a small ''almedina'' (''fortified city'') under the reign of Niebla, under the command of Taifa Ibne Mafom. The second half of the 12th century was an epoch marked by great political and military instability, with internal dissensions across the Garb Andaluz, supported by military constructions.<ref name=CML/> It is possible that Al-'Ulya' was fortified during this period. The remains of the primitive keep remain, practically intact, the Taipa tower (''Torre da Vela'') situated along the old ''Rua da Corredora'' (today the ''Rua Engº Duarte Pacheco'').<ref name=CML/>
The bell tower of [[São Clemente (Loulé)|Loulé St. Clemens Church]] (São Clemente) was originally a minaret of a [[List of former mosques in Portugal|former Muslim mosque]]. It is one of the few remaining [[Islamic]] religious architectural elements from the [[Moors|Moor]] rule in Portugal. Located across the church is ''Jardim dos Amuados'', which is an old Moor Muslim cemetery.<ref name="a1">{{cite web |title=LOULÉ |url=https://www.algarvetips.com/cities/loule/ |website=algarvetips.com |access-date=1 October 2018}}</ref>
===Kingdom===
[[File:Loule Castle - The Algarve, Portugal (1399497720).jpg|thumb|235px|left|The walls of the Castle of Loulé, reconstructed during the Nationalist Estado Novo era]]
In 1249, King D. [[Afonso III of Portugal|Afonso III]] supported by D. Paio Peres Correia, Knight and Master of the Order of Santiago, [[Portuguese Conquest of Algarve|conquered the castle from the Moors]], and integrated into the possessions of the Portuguese Crown.<ref name=CML/> The first [[foral]] (''charter'') was issued to the settlement in 1266. A second foral was issued in 1269, to the southern suburbs of Mouraria with narrow winding streets and medieval toponyms, such as ''Rua da Mouraria'' and ''Rua dos Oleiros''. The consequences of the Christian [[Reconquista]] had a negative effect on the economy of Loulé and its region, which was dependent trade from northern Africa and Andalusia.<ref name=CML/> King D. [[Denis of Portugal|Denis]] ordered the establishment of a fair in Loulé, unique to the Algarve, that lasted 15 days in September: it was located in Rossio, in front of the Horta D’El Rei, alongside the ''Porta de Silves''.<ref name=CML/> The new economy, based on agriculture, supported by bartering across regions was insufficient to augment the isolation and stagnation by the end of the 14th century.<ref name=CML/>
The desolate environment in which Loulé was present, were supported by the 1385 ''Actas de Vereação'' (''Acts of Town Council''), by which Camareiro-Mor João Afonso affirmed that the village was unpopulated, its castle in ruins and debris littered the field.<ref name=CML/> In order to alleviate the situation, King D. [[John I of Portugal|John I]] bestowed special privileges on the village to expand the settlement, then donated land in front of the Church of São Clemente for a courtyard. The ''Actas'' also gave notice that the King of Castile was prepared to enter Portugal.<ref name=CML/> In order to prevent its eventual attack, there was a move to repair the tower over the ''Porta de Faro'' and raise the walls along the southern flank.<ref name=CML/> This area, until the 16th century, for reasons of defense and accessibility was the principal urban space, penetrated by a various roadways: the ''Largo da Matriz'' which crossed the principal arterials (the ''Rua Martim Farto'', ''Rua da Cadeia'' and ''Rua da Matriz'') which connected the principal spaces of the village, alcaldery, town council, jailhouse and gates.<ref name=CML/>
During Portugal's maritime expansion, the Algarve entered a new economic phase. Loulé, in this context, occupied an important place in the export of wine, olive oil, dried fruit, handicrafts, salt and fish which allowed it to prosper and recover from many years of stagnation and decay: allowing the town to expand public spaces and construct new infrastructures.<ref name=CML/> In 1422, the walls were rebuilt under the orders of D. Henrique de Meneses, first [[Count of Loulé]].<ref name=CML/> In 1471, the old shelter was transformed, by order of King D. [[Afonso V of Portugal|Afonso V]], into the first hospital in the Algarve, in order to help injured soldiers that regressed from the battles in Tangiers. To the north, and outside the walls, new residential spaces were organized, along the roadways that would become ''Rua do Poço'', ''Travessa do Outeiro'', ''Rua da Laranjeira'' and the ''Rua do Alto de São Domingos'' (where the Order of Santiago indicated existed the Hermitage of São Domingos in 1565).<ref name=CML/> In the west, they constructed the Hermitage of São Sebastião half a league from the centre, and the Hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, which complimented the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Pobres (which was erected in 1400).<ref name=CML/>
By the end of the 16th century, Portugal had lost its independence following the events of [[Battle of Alcácer Quibir|Alcácer Quibir]].<ref name=CML/> The region and village of Loulé was, once again, threatened by coastal attacks from pirates along the coast, yet the castle defenses had already become threatened and had fallen into ruin.<ref name=CML/> After 1630, the economic vitality of the Algarve began to fall, its populations stagnating and political instability contributing to Barbary Coast piracy.<ref name=CML/> The regions expansion suffered, even as new buildings were being constructed: in 1600, the Church of Portas do Ceu was constructed; in the three of the gates of the castle they constructed hermitages to Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Nossa Senhora do Pilar and Nossa Senhora do Carmo; in the courtyard, they constructed the Church of Espírito Santo (then recovered and expanded in 1693); expanded the nunnery of Convent of Nossa Senhora da Conceição; and in the east, D. Francisco Barreto, second bishop of the Algarve, laid the cornerstone of the Convent of Santo António (1675).<ref name=CML/> After the Restoration, the castle took on a defensive role and lands surrounding the structure were occupied by new construction.<ref name=CML/>
[[File:Portugal - Faro district - 2014 080.JPG|thumb|235px|right|The 18th-century facade of the municipal council of Loulé]]
By the beginning of the 18th century, during the reign of [[John V of Portugal|John V]], Portugal lived a period of economic prosperity sustained by gold from [[Portuguese Brazil|Brazil]].<ref name=CML/> Many of the churches and chapels were enriched by the spoils of conquest; gold, azulejo, rich woods, and artistic treasures were used to beautify the religious structures of the kingdom, by artesans in the region and factories in the north.<ref name=CML/> A group of public works expanded to the edge of the town, primarily west of the Convent of Graça, south of the old Corredoura, east of the old ''Largo dos Inocentes'' square and ''Rua da Carreira'', and north to the ''Rua da Praça'' and ''Rua da Laranjeira''.<ref name=CML/> But, much of the village was destroyed in the [[1722 Algarve earthquake|1722]] and [[1755 Lisbon earthquake|1755 earthquake]]s: the towers of the castle cracked, walls crumbled, church and Convent of Graça collapsed, and the [[Parochialism|parochial]] church experienced grave damage; those civilian buildings that were not destroyed became uninhabited and the municipal hall was so damaged that sessions were realized in a small house along ''Rua Ancha'', later in a building on the edge of the municipal square.<ref name=CML/> After the reconstruction of the village new residential areas began to pop-up with several occupied by the local merchant-class.<ref name=CML/>
[[File:Loule (Portugal) (49836185578).jpg|thumb|235px|left|The 19th century neo-Classical Arabesque-inspired marketplace of Loulé]]
In the first quarter of the 19th century, the political instability generated by the Napoleonic Wars, the flight of the monarchy and the [[Liberal Wars]] provoked an economic crisis.<ref name=CML/> In order to alleviate the financial burden and consolidate the public debit, ''Ministro da Fazenda'' (''Minister of Finances''), [[Mouzinho da Silveira]] decreed the sale of national possessions and expropriation of convents.<ref name=CML/> As a consequence, the Convent of Espírito Santo, closed since 1836, was occupied and transformed into the municipal hall and judicial tribunal, while the church converted into a theatre.<ref name=CML/> Meanwhile, alongside the walls of the old castle, the lots were occupied for residential and commercial purposes. However, the greatest transformation occurred with the opening of Avenida Marçal Pacheco that connected the east and west, along the ''Rua da Praça'' (today ''Avenida Praça da República''), resulting in the demolition the hermitage of Carmo and part of the wall alongside.<ref name=CML/> The ''Rua da Praça'' was along the principal circulation of the most important social, economic and cultural space in the tow.<ref name=CML/> In 1885, it began to symbolize the most important political space in the town, after the municipal council was transferred to its current place.<ref name=CML/> At the end of the 19th century, the town had expanded to the west, initiating a new phase of urbanization in Quinta do Olival de São Francisco, which was integrated into the new civil parish of São Sebastião, created in 1890 after São Clemente was divided.<ref name=CML/> This new zone had a modern plan with roads design from existing roadways, forming rectangular blocks and triangular public spaces.<ref name=CML/> The urban and demographic growth in this period was associated with industrialization that attracted a nascent population to small artisanal factories.<ref name=CML/> This process was aided by the evolution of transport, the construction of rail lines in the Algarve and the development of communication lines that contributed to the demographic shift of the municipality.<ref name=CML/>
[[File:Loule225.jpg|thumb|235px|right|The modernist design of the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Piedade]]
Before the establishment of the First Republic, many of the contemporary architectural structures were constructed, including the municipal market, a project of architect Mota Gomes.<ref name=CML/> This project substantially altered the urban character of the town, provoking the considerable destruction of the castle. But, it was the opening of the ''Avenida José da Costa Mealha'' that had a considerable logistic and architectural impact on the town.<ref name=CML/> Until the establishment of the Estado Novo, the greatest improvements came from replacing the public lighting and installation of a water supply and drainage system.<ref name=CML/> Following the military coup on 28 May 1926, until the Carnation Revolution, the growth of Loulé proceed moderately with the modernization of ''Avenida José da Costa Mealha'' (today ''Avenida 25 de Abril''), that helped to spur many of the more expressive buildings in the town (such as the Cine-Teatro Louletano and the Duarte Pacheco monument). These developments assisted in accelerating the construction in Loulé.<ref name=CML/> To the northeast and south of ''Avenida José da Costa Mealha'' large residential blocks occupied old agricultural properties and traditional architecture.<ref name=CML/>
==Geography==
[[File:Rocha da Pena 2017 2.jpg|thumb|235px|The landscape from Rocha da Pena towards the village of Penina]]
[[File:Loulé DSC 0533 (37525437282).jpg|thumb|235px|The cityscape of Loulé with the sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in the distance]]
Loulé is well known for the sandy beaches, such as Quarteira. Inland, Loulé shows a rich geology, paleontology,<ref>Brusatte, S. L., Butler R. J., Mateus O., & Steyer S. J. (2015).  A new species of Metoposaurus from the Late Triassic of Portugal and comments on the systematics and biogeography of metoposaurid temnospondyls. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, e912988., 2015</ref> and wildlife. The seat of the municipality, the city of Loulé proper, is about 10 kilometres inland from the nearest coast at an elevation exceeding 100 meters and higher.
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 9 civil parishes (''[[freguesia (Portugal)|freguesias]]''):<ref>{{cite web|title=Law nr. 11-A/2013, page 552 61|url=http://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2013/01/01901/0000200147.pdf |access-date=24 July 2014|author=Diário da República|author-link=Diário da República|language=pt}}</ref>
* [[Almancil]]
* [[Alte]]
* [[Ameixial]]
* [[Boliqueime]]
* [[Quarteira]]
* [[Querença, Tôr e Benafim]]
* [[Salir (Loulé)|Salir]]
* [[São Clemente (Loulé)|São Clemente]]
* [[São Sebastião (Loulé)|São Sebastião]]
==Culture==
[[File:Quarteira-Algarve.jpg|thumb|235px|The beach of Praia da Gaivota with resort hotels in the background]]A highlight of the summer months in Loulé is '''Noite Branca''', the Festival of White Night held to celebrate the end of summer. Locals and tourists, all wearing white, converge on the town, where a dazzling display of music, dance and pageantry awaits. Young people wander the streets, dressed in white as princes and princesses, demons and winged fantasy figures, while live bands play in the background.<ref>My weekly, Festival Nights in Portugal, Nov 5-11 2013</ref>
Loulé is also the largest municipality in the Algarve and includes well-known towns near the sea (like Vilamoura or Quinta do Lago) but also the hidden villages in the Algarve mountains where there are unmistakable landscapes.
==Economy==
The tertiary sector is the engine of the economy of Loulé municipality and is related to tourism, namely sun and beach tourism in such places like [[Vilamoura]] and [[Quarteira]]. In the primary sector, the agricultural area occupies about 34.2% of the area of the municipality, with the predominance of cereals for grain, citrus, vines and dried fruits, temporary grassland and forage crops. With regard to livestock, poultry, sheep and pigs stand out as the main species produced. Loulé has a high forest density of almost 50% (49.8%) of the useful agricultural area, which corresponds to 12,216 ha, devoted essentially to plantations of [[pine tree]]. The food, construction and cement industries ([[CIMPOR]] has a major cement plant in Loulé<ref>Centro de Produção de Loulé https://www.cimpor.com/loule</ref>) are the main economic activities of the secondary sector.
== Sport ==
In Pavilhão Desportivo Municipal de Loulé (an indoor sports arena), a World Cup is held every year in the sport of [[trampolining]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.cm-loule.pt/noticias/6620/5-loule-world-cup---taca-do-mundo-de-trampolins-loule-2014-e-9-loule-cup.aspx|title = Website of the city council about the Loulé World Cup Trampoline|access-date = 2014-11-02}}</ref> The most noteworthy football team in Loulé is the [[Louletano D.C.]] [[Louletano-Loulé Concelho]] is a professional cycling team based in Loulé.
== Notable citizens ==
[[File:Aníbal Cavaco Silva (cropped).jpg|thumb|140px|Aníbal Cavaco Silva, 2007]]
* [[José Mendes Cabeçadas]] (1883–1965) a Navy officer, freemason, republican and revolutionary
* [[Duarte Pacheco]] (1900–1943) a Government minister responsible for improving Portuguese infrastructure in the ''Estado Novo'' era
* [[Pedro Correia de Barros]] (1911–1968) navy officer and [[List of colonial governors of Mozambique|governor of Mozambique]] 1958-1961
* [[Laura Ayres]] (1922–1992) a virologist, a pioneer in the fight against AIDS
* [[John Jacob Lavranos]] (1926–2018) a Greek/South African insurance broker and botanist, lived in Loulé from 1995
* [[Aníbal Cavaco Silva]] (born 1939) a Portuguese economist, scholar, [[Prime Minister of Portugal]] 1985-1995 and 19th [[President of Portugal]] 2006-2016
* [[António José Cavaco Carrilho|António Carrilho]] (born 1942) a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] priest and [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Funchal|Bishop of Funchal]]
* [[Vítor Aleixo]] (born 1956) the current mayor of Loulé
* [[Nuno Guerreiro]] (born 1972), Portuguese singer (lead vocalist of [[Ala dos Namorados]]).
* [[Jamila Madeira]] (born 1975) a politician and [[Member of the European Parliament]]
* [[Dânia Neto]] (born 1983) an actress and model<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2160072/  Dânia Neto, IMDb Database] retrieved 06 June 2021.</ref>
==Tourism==
Loulé has developed its [[Cultural tourism#Creative Tourism|Cultural Tourism]] through exhibitions, markets, fairs and processions. It is an official Creative Tourism City and offers to tourists cultural authenticity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.creativetourismnetwork.org/portugal/|title = Loulé, Portugal}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
{{Wikivoyage|Loulé}}
{{Commons category|Loulé}}
{{Portal|Portugal}}
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitor107/sets/72157606725776604/ Photos from Loulé]
* [http://www.360vt.org/loule/Loule.html/The Virtual Tour - Loulé]{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{Parishes of Loulé}}
{{Municipality of Faro District (Algarve)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loule Municipality}}
[[Category:Loulé| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Faro District]]
[[Category:Municipalities of the Algarve]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Faro District]]