Póvoa de Varzim (parish)
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| Municipality | Póvoa de Varzim | |||
| Area | 5.25 km² | |||
| Population - Total - Density |
27,810 (2001) 5,297.1/km² |
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| Website: none | ||||
Póvoa de Varzim is a Portuguese parish, located in the city of Póvoa de Varzim. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 27,810 inhabitants and a total area of 5.25 Km².
Póvoa de Varzim is the seat of the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim, thus is densely populated. Until recently it was the single parish that made up the city. The Varzim part of the name dates to the Roman Era, as it is the evolution of Euracini - a Roman villa; the Póvoa part was added in 1308 when king Denis gave a foral (charter) to the town that, at that time, had not even the status of parish, as it was then just a place in the parish of Argivai. The history of this parish is knotted with the history of Póvoa de Varzim proper, see History of Póvoa de Varzim.
Religiously speaking, there is no Póvoa de Varzim parish, it was divided into three parishes in early 20th century, the northern coast (Ribamar - Bairro Norte), southern coast (Lapa - Bairro Sul) and inland (Matriz). There is a small degree of decentralization of the civil parish for each part.
[edit] Geography
The area of the parish of Póvoa de Varzim is today practically totally urbanized and completely transformed by man. The former Póvoa Bay (Enseada da Póvoa), is now the sea port of Póvoa de Varzim, former small rivers existed in the city, as some excavations near the Casino suggest.
Historically, the city was comprised of three neighbourhoods: Bairro da Matriz (14th century), Bairro Sul (17th century) and Bairro Norte (early 20th century), these are still the most important and the most beloved neighbourhoods by the population, as living in their area is not a requirement to one being considered part of it. Over time, many neighbourhoods started to be created. Obviously, these and others areas had been inhabited from much earlier, but the current city grew through these ones. There were also swamps, one famous one was in Lagoa beach, a beach that still bear the name of the lagoon that once existed there.
Its ocean waters were very popular for talassoterapy until mid-20th century, due to large amounts of algae and iodine, but recently there are health issues due to untreated drains, that the city has recently promisse to solve, although today these are generally much less poluted that they were during the 1980s and early 1990s. Talassoterapy is now more regular on the cleaner waters of other beaches in other areas of the municipality.
[edit] City districts
The parish of Póvoa de Varzim contains nine of the eleven city districts:
- Agro-Velho (south part)
- Bairro Norte
- Centro
- Bairro Sul
- Parque da Cidade (a very small part of it, known as Montgeron after the sister French town)
- Barreiros
- Giesteira (part)
- Gândara (west part)
- Bairro da Matriz/Bairro da Mariadeira
