Matosinhos Municipality

Cidade de Matosinhos
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Portugal
Coordinates: 41°11′N 8°42′W / 41.183°N 8.7°W / 41.183; -8.7Coordinates: 41°11′N 8°42′W / 41.183°N 8.7°W / 41.183; -8.7
Country	Portugal
Region	Norte
Subregion	Grande Porto
District/A.R.	Porto
Government
- Mayor	Guilherme Pinto (PS)
Area
- Total	62.2 km2 (24 sq mi)
Population
- Total	168,451
- Density	2,708/km2 (7,013.7/sq mi)
Parishes (no.)	10
Municipal holiday	Senhor de Matosinhos Whit Tuesday
Website	http://www.cm-matosinhos.pt

Matosinhos Municipality (Portuguese pronunciation: [mɐtuˈziɲuʃ]) is located in Porto District, Portugal. The main city is Matosinhos. It is bordered to the south by the city of Porto and lies within the Greater Porto subregion. The municipality has a population of 168,451 in 10 parishes. Many people have recently moved from the surrounding area to live there^{[citation needed]}. It was also where poet Florbela Espanca died: a local library is named after her. Matosinhos is located on the seacoast and is a commercial and industrial centre in the Porto Metropolitan Area. Matosinhos has good summer weather, nice beaches, but cool water temperature.

History and landmarks

When Portugal was born in the 12th century, Matosinhos already existed - It was called at that time Vila de Matesinum. One of the first official records referring to Matusiny dates from 1258, the result of Afonso III inquiries. At that time Matosinhos was a humble place, part of the parish of Sandim. Matosinhos has some local landmarks such as Castelo Do Queijo and Forte de Nossa Senhora Da Conceição, this one in Leça da Palmeira.

In 2005, the municipality funded a public sculpture to be built in the Waterfront Plaza of Matosinhos. The resulting sculpture is entitled She Changes ^[1] by American artist, Janet Echelman, and spans the height of 50x150x150 meters.

Economy

The international Leixões seaport and a large oil refinery of Galp Energia, are located in Leça da Palmeira, Matosinhos. EFACEC, a leading Portuguese company in the electromechanics industry, is headquartered in the city. Pedro Hispano Hospital (after Pedro Hispano), is one of the most comprehensive state-run hospitals of Portugal, and serves the entire Porto Metropolitan Area.

Sports

Matosinhos municipality is home to Portuguese top flight club Leixões Sport Club as well as Leça Futebol Clube and other minor clubs.

List of Matosinhos teams

• Leixões Sport Club
• Leça Futebol Clube
• Sporting Clube de Senhora da Hora
• Futebol Clube da Infesta
• Padroense
• Futebol Clube da Perafita
• Juventude de Matosinhos
• Seara Futebol Clube

Parishes

• Matosinhos
• Leça da Palmeira
• Senhora da Hora
• São Mamede de Infesta
• Leça do Balio
• Custóias
• Guifões
• Santa Cruz do Bispo
• Perafita
• Lavra

References

1. ^ [1] Sculpture Magazine July–August 2005