Seia

Sister cities

• Newark
• Peniche
• Domfront
• Contrexéville
• Ochtrup

History

The primitive human presence on where Seia lies today dates back to pre-Roman times, when a settlement was founded by the Turduli, around the 4th century BC, under the name Senna. The Turduli built a castro in the place of Nogueira, between the hills of Santana and Carvalha do Outeiro. Three smaller castros strategically defended it, one in São Romão, another in Crestelo and a third in what is now Seia. There are still remains of castros in Travancinha, Loriga and São Romão. When the Roman invasion of the Iberian Peninsula took place, the Lusitanians made the mountain range, then called Montes Hermínios, their headquarters, which became a strong hurdle for the invaders. This did not, however, prevent General Galba from massacring 30,000 Lusitanian mountaineers. When the Romans became lords of the land, they then transformed the Iberian castro of Nogueira into the Roman "Civitas Sena", which was fortified when it became an Ópido with the same name. It was later occupied by the Visigoths and the Moors, the latter from the 8th century onwards. At the time of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the town was definitively conquered from the Moors by Fernando Magno, who rebuilt its fortification. About this episode, the chronicle of monk Silas recounts the violence of the attack and how the Christians forced the occupants of Ópido Sena to flee towards Viseu. During the time of formation of the Portuguese nationality, Bermudo Peres, Teresa of León's brother-in-law, started a revolt in the castle of Seia. He was unsuccessful, as Afonso I, having learned of this, went to meet him with his forces and expelled him from the castle. In the following year, he donated the domains of Seia and its castle to his servant João Viegas in recognition of services rendered.…

Geography

The municipality is limited to the north by the municipalities of Nelas and Mangualde, to the northeast by Gouveia, to the east by Manteigas, to the southeast by Covilhã, to the southwest by Arganil and to the west by Oliveira do Hospital. In this municipality is located the highest point in mainland Portugal, Torre, in Serra da Estrela, with 1,993 meters of altitude. The municipality of Seia covers a large part of Serra da Estrela and is also the only one in Portugal where there is a natural ski resort, Vodafone Ski Resort, located within the limits of the parish of Loriga. Located on the western slope of Serra da Estrela, the city of Seia is at an altitude of 550 m. The climate of the municipality is temperate, with moderate temperatures in summer and cold in winter; with very low temperatures and frequent, sometimes significant snowfalls in the higher altitudes of the Serra da Estrela. As for the rainfall regime, there is a short dry season, which comprises the summer months of July and August. It is 98 km from Coimbra, 67 km from Guarda, 45 km from Viseu, 298 km from Lisbon and 163 km from Porto. It is mainly served by the Nacional 17 and Nacional 231, which allow a connection to the A25, A24 and IP3. The Lagoa Comprida dam, built from a natural lagoon, is the main water reservoir in Serra da Estrela. It is the largest of the lakes in the upper massif and its high hydroelectric potential led to the construction of the dam in 1911, being one of the first engineering works of this nature carried out in Portugal.