Ponte da Barca

Ponte da Barca (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpõtɨ ðɐ ˈβaɾkɐ] ; lit. '"Bridge of the Boat"') is a town and a municipality in the district of Viana do Castelo in northern Portugal. It spans an area of 182.11 square kilometres (70.31 mi2) and had a population of 11,044 as of the 2021 census. The town itself is located in the parish of Ponte da Barca, Vila Nova da Muía e Paço Vedro de Magalhães, which had 4,192 residents in the same year. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times and was known in the Middle Ages as Terra da Nóbrega, a name linked to a fortified hilltop settlement in the parish of Sampriz. The town of Ponte da Barca developed between the 12th and 13th centuries around a key river crossing on pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. It was originally known as Barca, in reference to a boat used for crossing the Lima River, and later renamed after the construction of a bridge in the 14th century. Part of the municipality is located within the Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal’s only national park. This includes the historic village of Lindoso, home to a medieval castle and traditional granaries. The present Mayor is Augusto Manuel Dos Reis Marinho, elected by the Social Democratic Party (PSD). The municipal holiday is August 24.