Serra da Lousã – Places to visit pt.2
Check out part 1 of this thread!
10. The building of the Town Hall
This building is a project of the Architect João de Moura Coutinho to the taste of the architecture of the century. It was built between 1930 and 1934. In the interior it has tile panels from Fábrica Constância, Lisbon, in the atrium and staircase of access to the 1st floor (1933/1936) and still inside, atrium and outside, has tile panels from the Fábrica de Santa Ana (1936) and a Noble Hall with paintings by Carlos Reis (Legend of Lousã) and João Reis (Family, Religion and Work) (1940).
11. Louzanpark
In recent years, the rails of Serra da Lousã have received some of the biggest names in world sport of BTT and Downhill, at the invitation of the well-known brand of suspensions and shock absorbers of bicycles – Fox Racing Shox.
Athletes often praise the quality and conditions of the Louzanpark Rails / Shale Villages MTB Center, recommending this site for future world mode races. Receiving a World Championship event in the coming years is a goal of the council.
12. Ethnographic Museum Dr. Louzan Henriques
Integrated in the Ecomuseum of Serra da Lousã, it was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, Mário Soares, on July 7, 1990, at the premises of the former Conde Ferreira School and reopened on June 24, 2005, in the current facilities. It presents a diversified ethnographic heritage, of national scope, where you can find tools related to agriculture, such as agricultural implements and systems of coupling.
It is divided by several nuclei, such as the slaughter of pig, pottery, mountain kitchen, bread, olive oil, blacksmith, flax and cobbler.
It is a must visit for anyone looking to learn more about the roots of Portugal, particularly about their traditions, experiences, and influence on historical and cultural heritage.
13. Municipal Museum Prof. Alvaro Viana de Lemos | Welcome Center
This cultural equipment is also integrated with the Ecomuseum of Serra da Lousã and was reopened on March 9, 2013, in the current facilities. The Municipal Museum has since been installed in a renovated space, with several valences, but in the path of the initial objectives drawn up by Álvaro Viana de Lemos.
His varied collection includes books, coins, prints, art objects, and simple curiosities and memorabilia, with numerous donations from the Lousanenses. It is also home to temporary exhibitions of painting, sculpture, photography or other art forms.
It also welcomes the services of the Schist Villages Welcome Center which functions as a gateway and specialized information center on the Schist Villages.
14. Cabril do Ceira
A place of undeniable beauty, its crystalline waters compete with the spectacular narrowing effect that the quartzite cannon causes. Relatively unexplored, it is one of the points of interest of the Parish of Serpins, but whose accesses on land lead to only the most knowledgeable visitors to visit.
15. Mother Church
Building with undeniable beauty is much sought after by the visitors of Lousã. Installed in the historic center of the village, it replaced the more modest church that preceded it, being built in modern and attractive lines. Its large interior, heavily decorated with religious motifs, has its heyday on the heavily crafted gilded altar.
Its orago is S. Silvestre, and although dating from 1882, it was only finished in 1921, with the construction of the Sineira Tower.
16. Hermitage of Senhora da Piedade
The Nossa Senhora da Piedade Chapel is just after the Castle and the River Beach with the same name. Going up the shady path of the Restaurant O Burgo, we will take a path through the hills with magnificent views, and places with religious symbols. It is an ideal place for contemplation.
Between April and May, the Festivities take place in honor of N. Sra. Da Piedade, whose high point is the beautiful night procession through the sanctuary.
17. Lousanense gastronomy
The typical gastronomy of Lousã arises essentially from the use of the endogenous products of Serra da Lousã: goat and kid, honey, nuts, and vegetables.
18. Fairs and Festivals
If there are people who like to receive good and show their land, they are the Lousanenses! And the proof of this is the calendar of fairs and festivals that the county prepares every year with beauty. There are five main dates in which Lousã is celebrating:
– Festival of Chanfana: usually takes place at the end of February, and during this period it is possible to taste traditional or reinvented Lousanan Chanfana (e.g. Açorda de Chanfana, Bacalhau Achanfanado, Hamburger de Chanfana, Ovos Rotos com Chanfana) in several restaurants in the county;
– Cabrito da Serra da Lousã’s Gastronomic Weekends: runs on two weekends in April / May and is also an excellent opportunity to witness all the know-how and know-how that go well characterize Lousã;
– Annual St. John’s Fair: the traditional St. John’s Eve is lived intensely in Lousã, or else it was not the Municipal Holiday Day. The party lasts several days, with an industrial and commercial show, musical spectacles, parade of the Sanjoaninas marches, popular arraiais, ending with the night of St. John on Travessa.
– Festival Flavors of Autumn: at the end of October, in the middle of autumn, Lousã offers a menu of comfort in several restaurants in the region; this menu is made up of products typical of the region such as chestnut, mushrooms and tortillas, migas, wild boar, grelos, potatoes maize, deer, trout, among others.
– Honey and Chestnut Fair: the one that is “the best Honey Fair in the country” takes place in mid-November, with more than 100 exhibitors, in the Municipal Park of Exhibitions, and with a diversified program of animation, small shops, and handicrafts. In this event, certified honey (Honey DOP Serra da Lousã), chestnut, nuts, and earth products are marketed.
Other points of interest
Cinema-Theater of Lousã
Pillory
Old railway station
Fluvial Beach of Senhora da Graça
Quinta de Foz de Arouce
