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Queluz, Portugal
Queluz (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɛˈluʃ]) is a city within the Sintra Municipality, on the Portuguese Riviera, in the Lisbon metropolitan area of Portugal.[1] It is famed as the home of Queluz National Palace, the 18th century pleasure palace of the Portuguese Royal Family, as well as notable institutions like the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. Queluz had a population 78,273 inhabitants in 2001.[2] History The origin of the name Queluz has been disputed over time. The prevailing thesis, by David Lim and José Pedro Machado, suggests that the name had its origin in the Arabic terms câ (for tight valley) and Llûs (meaning almond), affirming the suggestion that it was in The Valley of the Almond Tree. However, another suggestion, has it as forming from the Mountain of Light, Monte Abraão (the Mount of Abraham), where worship of the sun was common. Human occupation of theis area dates back to the Late Neolithic or early Chalcolithic (between the third and fourth millennium B.C.), owing to the number of Neolithic monuments and vestiges from abandoned settlements unearthed by archeologists.[3] These earliest date established to this settlement was 4200 B.C., followed by comparable settlements in 2000 B.C. (in what today is the civil parish of Massamá). In the year 1147, when Afonso I of Portugal forces conquered the city of Lisbon, a similar campaign within the Sintra mountains effectively captures the heath of Queluz, bringing the lands under Christian control. From the first century until the 18th century, the region was primarily agrarian, occupied by homes, farms and few estates established by the clergy and/or nobility. In the 18th century, Infante Pedro of Braganza (future King Pedro III of Portugal), in his capacity as Lord of the House of the Infantado, acquired an estate in Queluz, previously belonging to the Marquis of Castelo Rodrigo, and subsequently built a humble hunting lodge. Following his marriage to Queen Maria I of Portugal, the estate was radically expanded into the Rococo pleasure palace, today known as the Queluz National Palace. Following the transfer of the Portuguese Royal Court to Queluz, during the reign of Queen Maria I and King Pedro III, numerous members of the Portuguese nobility established estates and palaces in the area, Sintra being the longtime retreat of the Portuguese aristocracy. Culture Between July and August is a free fair outside the D. Maria Pousada that recreates the golden age of the Queluz National Palace. The Feira Setecentista ("Eighteenth-Century Fair") recreates the reign of Queen Mary I of Portugal, and transports visitors back into a period where artisans and merchants produced arts and crafts. Choral concerts are also common to Sunday afternoons at Queluz National Palace, owing to the three choirs in the city. Similarly, the Monte Abraão Fair (held every Saturday in the Rua Cidade Desportiva) is the biggest in Queluz, allowing the sale of clothes, handicrafts, fruits and vegetables, flowers and implements. SportThe biggest and most known teams in Queluz are Real Sport Clube, CA Queluz and JOMA (Juventude Operária do Monte Abraão). Real Sport Clube is Queluz local football team, CA Queluz the basketball one and JOMA main sport is athletics. Real Sport Clube plays on the Segunda Liga (the 2nd biggest league competition in Portugal). CA Queluz has already been Portuguese basketball champions in 1984 and 2005. They also won the Portuguese Cup in 1983 and 2005, completing the double. JOMA as already been Portuguese champions on both individual and collective athletics competitions. GeographyCrossed by Jamor river, the city is interspersed by various parks, with three in the district: two in the civil parish of Queluz and the other in Massamá:
Climate
Queluz has a micro-climate that is classified as an Upper Thermo-Mediterranean sub-humid type, with average annual precipitation of 825 millimetres (32.5 in).[6] TransportWith three train stations on the Sintra Line (Monte Abraão, Barcarena-Massamá and Queluz-Belas), Queluz falls within the Sintra-Lisbon corridor, with connections to Amadora and Sintra.[7] Vimeca bus lines connect Queluz to Oeiras, Lisbon, Amadora and Carcavelos.[8] Taxi services within Queluz, handled from the centralized "taxi squares" and services achieved from telephone services. Notable citizens
References
External links Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Queluz.
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