:Regua leads here. For American major general, see Eldon Regua

Peso da Régua (), commonly known as Régua, is a city and municipality in northern Portugal, in the district of Vila Real. The population in 2011 was 17,131 (of which approximately 10,000 are in the town of Régua), in an area of &nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.

History

thumb|left|235px|A historic train in the railway station of Peso da Régua

Historians have suggested that Peso da Régua was inhabited during the Roman, Suebi and Visigothic periods. There are competing theories over where the toponym "Peso da Régua" could have originated: Vila Reggula, the name of a Roman country estate; récua, a word for livestock, which may have crossed the Douro at this location; or reguengo a designation for lands that were owned by the crown. Peso da Régua could also have originated from the word regra (), alluding to the hereditary rights of descendants achieved through forals. This theory is based on the donation of lands by Counts Henrique and Hugo in 1093, which were transferred to Egas Moniz. It is possible that this rule gave origin to the word Régoa, and later Régua. In regards to the word, Peso (), there are two hypothesis on its origin: the location being where goods were weighted and taxed; or the place where animals were fed (), Penso

Middle Ages

Peso de Régua received its foral from King Sancho I, who conferred on the locality of Godim the municipal charter.

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 8 civil parishes (freguesias):

  • Fontelas
  • Galafura e Covelinhas
  • Loureiro
  • Moura Morta e Vinhós
  • Peso da Régua e Godim
  • Poiares e Canelas
  • Sedielos
  • Vilarinho dos Freires

Economy

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It cannot be expressed how important Port Wine helped to catapult the fortunes of Peso da Régua:

Tourist boats ply the river from this point carrying tourists through the locks of two dams to Régua. The town is also connected to Porto by train; the Douro railway line runs along the banks of the Douro. Until its closure in 2009, the narrow gauge railway of the Corgo line also served the town.

Notable people

  • Francisco da Silveira Pinto da Fonseca Teixeira, 1st Count of Amarante (1763–1821) a nobleman and Army officer.
  • Antonia Ferreira (1811–1896) a businesswoman who lead the cultivation of port wine.
  • João de Lemos (1819–1890) a Portuguese journalist, poet and dramatist.
  • José Dias Correia de Carvalho (1830–1911) Portuguese bishop of Santiago de Cabo Verde and Viseu.
  • Manuel Vieira de Matos (1861–1932) was Bishop of Guarda & Archbishop of Braga.
  • Domingos Duarte Lima (born 1955) a lawyer, politician, musician, organist and singer. He faces charges of murder, fraud and money laundering.

References

;Notes

;Sources

  • Museum of Douro
  • Photos from Peso da Régua