Covilhã

Covilhã clings to the slopes of the Serra da Estrela, above the Cova da Beira valley. Wool from the surrounding country and streams descending from the mountains helped sustain its cloth-making tradition. Sancho I granted the town a charter in 1186, and its walls guarded a settlement of strategic value in the interior. Covilhã's cloth was known in the late Middle Ages, and its people took part in Portugal's overseas enterprises. A school and factory for textiles was established in 1681 by the Count of Ericeira; the Marquis of Pombal founded a royal textile factory in 1763. The Carpinteira and Degoldra streams supplied water power to the workshops along their courses.