About Chamusca

Chamusca is a town and a municipality in the district of Santarém, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 11,727, in an area of 130.23 km². It is located on the left bank of the Tagus River, about 60 kilometres east of Lisbon. The present mayor is Luís Miguel da Silva Afonso, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day. The municipality is divided into 13 civil parishes (freguesias): Abrigada e Vale da Amoreira,Alcanena,Chamusca,Envendos,Golegã,Mação,Nespereira,Odivelas,Pego,Salvaterra de Magos,São Miguel do Outeiro,Sardoal,Sebastião da Grama The town of Chamusca is located on a hill on the left bank of the Tagus River, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Lisbon. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name, which includes 13 civil parishes. The present mayor is Luís Miguel da Silva Afonso, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Ascension Day. The Chamusca municipality includes the towns of Golegã, Mação, Salvaterra de Magos, and Sardoal. The population in 2011 was 11,727, in an area of 130.23 square kilometres (50.40 square miles). The town of Chamusca was founded in the 12th century, during the Reconquista. It was a strategically located town, guarding the crossing of the Tagus River. In 1383, Chamusca was the site of a battle in the Portuguese Civil War of 1383-1385. The town was captured by the Castilian forces of John I of Castile, but was retaken by the Portuguese forces of John, Master of Aviz. During the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, Chamusca was one of the few towns in the vicinity of Lisbon that was not destroyed. The 19th century saw a decline in the importance of the town, as the Tagus River changed its course and no longer flowed past Chamusca. The municipality is served by two railway stations on the linha do Sul: Chamusca-Golegã and Chamusca. The municipality is traversed by the A13 motorway.