Last modified: 2006-02-05 by antonio martins
Keywords: covilhã | coat of arms: star | star: six points (white) | waves: 2 | water mill wheel |
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It is a quite typical portuguese municipal flag, with the coat of arms
centered on a background gyronny (meaning city
rank) of red and white. The coat of arms is azure between two wavy fesses
argent on a mullet of the same a water mill wheel gules. Mural crown argent
with five visible towers (city rank); collar of
the Order of Tower and Sword; white scroll
reading in black upper case letters "CIDADE DA COVILHÃ".
Some sources show purple instead of red — confirmation should be sought in the
relevant law.
António Martins, 12 Sep 2003
The water mill wheel refers to the early river power textle
industrialization of this region in the middle 18th century. The star
stands perhaps to the nearby towering Star Massif (Serra da Estrela)
— other of the nine neighbouring municipal arms show also stars
(Gouveia, Manteigas,
Celorico da Beira and Seia),
while others do not (Fornos de Algodres,
Belmonte, Guarda and
Oliveira do Hospital); it should be
determined both by consulting the heraldic notes published when the arms
were adopted (usually not part of the law) and by comparing the
statistical occurence of stars in portuguese municipal arms here and
elsewhere.
António Martins, 12 Sep 2003
Covilhã municipality had had 54 507 inhabitants in 2000
(52 830 in 1990), and it is divided in 6 communes, covering
97 km2. It belongs to the Castelo
Branco District, to the old province of Beira
Baixa and to the would-be region of Beira
Interior.
António Martins, 12 Sep 2003
