Óbidos is a historic village located about 15 minutes from Caldas da Rainha, with a population density of 11,922 inhabitants, according to the 2021 census. Also known as Literary City or Vila Natal, it receives these denominations fruit of creativity and thanks to the prolonged events that have a stage here throughout the year, allied to the fact that it is a village full of history and culture, with a charm and an environment conducive to special moments in the family.
Inhabited since the time of the Lower Paleolithic, the area of Óbidos has always proved appealing to man. The first signs of a more organized occupation correspond to the Celtic people, in a castro facing west, whose foundation will have been in place around 308 BC. It is known that there was an attempt by the Phoenicians who, by failing, waged trade with the people who dominated the region. In the 1st century AD, however, Celtic defenses failed before the Romans, who took the village through the water of the pond that bathed the castle at that time.
After the decline of the Roman Empire, it was the Visigoths who settled in the area after their conquest. In the 8th century it was the Moors who took the village, where they built a castle to defend themselves from the forces coming from the north. Here, they developed areas such as science. On January 11, 1148, D. Afonso Henriques took Óbidos to the Moors. The village was also part of the strategic defensive pentagon debuted by the Templars.
House of Queens of Portugal, there were many queens who passed through there and contributed to the development of the village.
The Region of Óbidos was also the scene of several battles of the peninsular war against the French. Already in 1973, in a different context, Óbidos was the scene of one of the meetings that led to the Movement of Captains, at the Head of the Obidense Recreational Musical Society, which triggered the revolution of April 25, 1974.
Ceramics is a traditional product of the region, and in this field, stands out the artist Josefa de Óbidos who, in addition to painting, also directed an artistic pottery workshop that influenced on a large scale the ceramic typologies that were produced in the village. Also notework in lat, wicker baskets, ceramic latde, traditional pottery, miniatures, patchwork blankets and rags, tile and embroidery.
Currently, with the retreat of the lagoon, Óbidos is located several kilometers from the sea and is cedes a municipality with 141.56km2. The main economic activities that take practice here are tourism, agriculture and trade. In agriculture, the production of fruit, hostic products and vines stand out. In the county, the dominant industries are food, drinking, civil protection, textile (clothing and footwear), real estate and extractive. Dependent on the lagoon, there is also fishing and harvesting of bivalve molluscs.
With regard to gastronomy, the highlight is ginja de Óbidos, a drink in a chocolate glass. But also for the fish stew of The Óbidos Lagoon, the fried eels and the stew. In the sweets, convent sweets such as the Lamprey of Gaeiras, the alcaides or the pastéis of Moura prevail.
The Óbidos Lagoon, which divides the municipalities of Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos, is a place of water sports throughout the year. Here you can enjoy relaxing and leisure moments while sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, rowing, kiteboarding, jet skiing, nautical skiing, stand up and paddleboarding.
Just 80km from Lisbon, the municipality has two main access motorways , the A8 and the A15, which facilitate the movement of people and goods. Other ways of commuting the city are the Train Station, located outside the village, and by bus.
See the interview of Humberto Marques, president of the Municipality of Óbidos.