Beira Baixa Province

The Beira Baixa (English about: Lower border area) was from 1936 to 1976 one of the eleven provinces of Portugal. It exists today in the vernacular or historically based concepts, such as the name of the railway line Linha da Beira Baixa.

Castelo Branco was the capital of the province, today's district Castelo Branco comprised, in essence, to each one concelho ( circle) of Coimbra ( Pampilhosa da Serra) and Santarém ( Mação ). It formed the northern border Beira Alta and Beira Litoral west adjacent to the often still called Beiras region. Their southern neighbors were the provinces of Ribatejo in the southwest and Alto Alentejo in the south. In the east it bordered on the Spanish provinces of Cáceres and Salamanca.

The Beira Beixa goes - unlike the mountainous, rugged Beira Alta - to the south into increasingly shallow and drier Alentejo about.

In contrast to the coastal region of Beira Litoral ( dt: Coastal Beira ) are still the Beira Alta and Beira Baixa together as Beira Interior (German: Inner Beira ) denotes that affects unlike the coastal region as structurally weak and strong rural exodus applies.

The term Beira (English about: border area, border area or bank) goes back to the time of the Reconquista, as a contested border area here for dominion of the Moors was. From this time, and from the subsequent battles for the independence of Portugal against Spanish neighbors, stir the numerous medieval castles and granite stone dominated Burgdörfer of Beira Interior. Due to its remoteness and, in contrast to the coast cautious progress, traditions here could in many areas hold more, such as gastronomy, folk dance, folk music and traditional legends.