The Municipality of Carregal do Sal is located on the Platform of The Mondego, between the Serras da Estrela and Caramulo, having as natural borders the rivers Dão and Mondego.
Occupying an area of about 120Km2 and, according to the 2021 Census, with a resident population of 9,038 people, the Municipality is served by important communication routes that allow quick access to the rest of the country and Europe.
Agriculture has always been a means of survival par excellence of the local population. It is mainly olive oil and Dão Wine, important in the Nucleus of the Demarcated Zone where it is located, which have a fundamental weight in the agricultural economy.
With regard to services , the Municipality of Carregal do Sal is equipped with medical equipment, private institutions of social solidarity and schools. You can live your leisure and sports moments in the pool complex or in one of the municipal parks. Transport is mainly at the intermunicipal level, allowing the population to move to neighboring municipalities.
Carregal do Sal is committed to sustained growth, with doors open to increasing economic and industrial progress, with companies covering areas such as furniture, confections, wood agglomerates, locksmiths, marbles, abrasives, and a Railway Shipyard.
Endowed with a vast and diverse landscape, architectural and archaeological heritage, it is a municipality rich in testimonies of the past, where the Tomb of knight Fernão Gomes de Góis stands out, masterpiece of the Renaissance that can be visited in the Mother Church of Oliveira do Conde; and the Dolmen da Orca, considered one of the best preserved megalithic monuments in the region, both classified as National Monuments.
There are several circuits and routes that allow visitors to explore the remains that punctuate the various parishes and allow to know their history, tracing their evolution in time, while observing the natural landscapes that the municipality has to offer.
The architectural heritage, however, is present in its grandiose solar and sunny houses of medieval genesis scattered by the parishes, where are well patent the granite constructions characteristic of this region beirã.
In the parish of Cabanas de Viriato was born and resided Aristides de Sousa Mendes, the Portuguese diplomat in Bordeaux who during World War II risked his life by spending more than 30,000 visas, saving thousands of Jews persecuted by Nazis. The house where he lived and where thousands of Jews took refuge, known as Casa do Passal - Fundação Aristides de Sousa Mendes, was classified as a National Monument in 2011.
In Carregal do Sal you can still live the festive traditions and pilgrimages. Highlighting the Carnival of Cabanas de Viriato characterized by the famous "Dance of the Ass" or "Dança Grande" and the Feast of the Mrs. of Miracles, which mobilizes thousands of emigrants annually. The centuries-old tradition of Queima da Comadre and Compadre is maintained, which mobilizes more and more people interested in these typical festivals of the village.
Characterized by beautiful landscapes, mild climate and vast heritage, Carregal do Sal is a municipality to visit!
Sources: Municipality of Carregal do Sal and Aristides de Sousa Mendes Foundation