Vila Franca de Xira

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vila Franca de Xira
[[Image:{{{image_flag}}}|140px|Flag of Vila Franca de Xira]]
Municipal flag
Coat of arms of Vila Franca de Xira
Municipal coat of arms
Location of Vila Franca de Xira
Location  
 - Country Portugal  
 - Region Lisboa
 - Subregion Greater Lisbon
 - District or A.R. Lisbon
Mayor Maria Luz Rosinha
 - Party PS
Area 317.7 km²
Population
 - Total 133,224
 - Density 419/km²
No. of parishes 11
Coordinates 38º57'N 8º59'W
Municipal holiday Ascension Day
date varies
Website: http://www.cm-vfxira.pt

Vila Franca de Xira (pron. IPA: ['vilɐ 'fɾɐ̃kɐ dɨ 'ʃiɾɐ]) is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 317.7 km² and a total population of 133,224 inhabitants. Situated on the west bank of the River Tagus, just 32 km north-east of the Portuguese capital Lisbon, Vila Franca de Xira is said to have been founded by French followers of Afonso Henriques around 1200.

The town is mostly famous for its bull-running festivals in July and October. Bulls are raised in the salty marshlands of the Ribatejo, which is also a notable breeding ground for the magnificent Lusitano horse, esteemed for its quick reflexes and maneuverability.

What to see. A number of brightly-coloured Portuguese bullfighting costumes are on display in the ethnographic museum on Praça de Touros. Nearby, the town's Misericórdia church features striking 18th-century azulejo glazed tiles.

Nearby. 3 km south of Vila Franca de Xira lies the Lezíria Grande Equestrian Centre, where visitors can watch stylish displays of the impressive Lusitano horses. The centre also stages typical bullfighting spectacles in its outdoor bullring. Visitors can ride Lusitano horses and take dressage lessons at the Quinta de São Sebastião, a sprawling estate at Arruda dos Vinhos, 11 km west of Vila Franca de Xira.

The municipality is composed of 11 parishes, and is located in the District of Lisbon.

The present Mayor is Maria Luz Rosinha, elected by the Socialist Party.

  • Alhandra
  • Alverca do Ribatejo
  • Cachoeiras
  • Calhandriz
  • Castanheira do Ribatejo
  • Forte da Casa
  • Póvoa de Santa Iria
  • São João dos Montes
  • Sobralinho
  • Vialonga
  • Vila Franca de Xira



Advanced Search
Included Web Search Engines


Safe Search

close

Top Matching Results

Occasionally Search.com will highlight specialized results that are based on the context of your query. Examples of specialized results include specific links to news, images, or video.

Top Matching Results may highlight information from other Search.com pages, content from the CNET Network of sites, or third party content. The listings are based purely on relevance. Search.com does not receive payment for listings in this section but our partners that provide this data may get paid for listing these products.

Sponsored Links

This section contains paid listings which have been purchased by companies that want to have their sites appear for specific search terms and related content. These listings are administered, sorted and maintained by a third party and are not endorsed by Search.com.

Search Results

Search.com sends your search query to several search engines at one time and integrates the results into one list which has been sorted by relevance using Search.com's proprietary algorithm. You can customize the list of search engines included in your metasearch from the preferences.

The search engines that are used in your metasearch may allow companies to pay to have their Web sites included within the results. To view the Paid Inclusion policy for a specific search engine, please visit their Web site. Search.com does not accept payment or share revenue with any search engine partner for listings in this section.