Valpaços


Valpaços is a municipality in northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 16,882, in an area of 548.74 km².

History

The first documents that cite Valpaços date back to the 12th century. Its toponymy evolved from pre-national settlements, and started as a small enclave inhabited by nobles and signeurial family estates, attracted by the privileges given for settling so close to the Spanish border. The nascent Portuguese community was susceptible to attacks from Spain. The establishment of border settlements fixed the border.
Historically, Vale de Paço was an area with roots in the Roman period of settlement, yet influenced by Germanic settlers before Portugal became a Kingdom.
The most important event in the regions history occurred in the 19th century. On 16 November 1846, during the Patuleia conflict, a movement that was apolitical turned bloody, resulting in the deaths of 200 people, before the battle proceeded into the lands of Murça.

Geography

Valpaços is located in the northern interior of Portugal in the Alto Trás-os-Montes region, and part of the district of Vila Real. It is confined in the north by the municipality of Chaves, to the east by Mirandela and Vinhais, to the south by Murça and Mirandela and in the west by Chaves and Vila Pouca de Aguiar.
From north to south, the Transmontanan relief is exemplified by planar stretches of the Iberian Meseta, with altitudes between 700–800 metres above sea level, tending to have a regular profile north of the Douro River.
Regional and national connections between the municipality and its neighbours are completed across several of its primary and secondary roadways: the 213 ; the 103 ; the 206 ; and the 314. The important link is the 206 to A24, which links Valpaços with Vila Real, Viseu and internationally to Spain, and the national A7 which permits a rapid connection with the coast. The ancillary connection to the national 213 also permits a rapid connection to the IP4, which links Valpaços with Porto, Vila Real and Bragança.
Administratively, the municipality is divided into 25 civil parishes :