São João da Madeira
Despite being only 7.94 square kilometers, the city occupies a prominent place in the Portuguese business fabric, with a special emphasis on the footwear industry. However, it doesn't stop there: its great business diversity makes São João da Madeira a leading global exporter in Portugal. This is the result of the dynamism and innovation of a floating and resident population of close to 50,000 people, who make up the second largest city in the Aveiro district and an important urban center in the Porto Metropolitan Area.
The "City of Work" or the "Capital of Footwear", two names that are associated with São João da Madeira, is now trying to become a benchmark in terms of quality of life, implementing the concepts of centrality, modernity and innovation for its inhabitants.
São João da Madeira offers a range of important heritage sites, from an interesting industrial archaeological heritage to religious, nature, architectural and cultural sites. The city also has a vast and diverse cultural and leisure agenda throughout the year, which makes it attractive in terms of tourism and investment.
With traces of the Celtic, Roman, Arab and Visigoth civilizations, it is known that the population cluster dates back to distant times, although it was only in 1088 that it first appeared in written sources. It was with the industrial revolution of the 19th century that São João da Madeira experienced major growth. Initially, with the hat and dairy industry and, later, with the important footwear industry. In 1888, the town's new church was inaugurated and, in 1908, King Manuel II inaugurated the Vale do Vouga Railway Line, which still serves the town of São João da Madeira today.
Progress continued with the construction of roads, the supply of electricity, the building of a hospital and the appearance of the Grupo Patriótico Sanjoanense, which made an important contribution to local progress, culminating in the town becoming a municipality in 1926. Later, in 1984, São João da Madeira was elevated to the status of a city, as a result of its various economic achievements and architectural, sporting, social, cultural and urbanistic accomplishments, continuing its evolution to this day.
An itinerary of historic delights
Explore the heart of São João da Madeira, where the streets and cobblestones lead you to discover the identity of a people known for their know-how and entrepreneurship. Let yourself be carried away by the streets that tell the story of hat making and so many other arts that have sprung up in this territory known for its fertile skilled workforce.
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In São João da Madeira there are three green parks that are particularly important in the collective memory.
They are municipal facilities that belong to different moments and contexts in the history of the city's construction, but have undeniable cultural, heritage and environmental value.
The largest is located right next to one of the city's industrial estates, following the main watercourse that
runs through the city.
This is the Rio Ul Urban Park, which invites you to enjoy nature, go for walks and do sporting activities, or simply to rest and contemplate.
It is also a place to revive history and stories, to get to know the natural and cultural heritage, providing new opportunities for learning and experimentation.
With its remarkable biodiversity, the Rio Ul Urban Park has more than 2,000 trees and almost 60 species of fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds.
São João da Madeira lives sport intensely.
It is a city extremely proud of its sporting history, which partly coincides with the history of national sport, in traditional sports such as field hockey, handball, athletics, soccer and basketball.
Since 2017, it has been considered a "Sports-Friendly Municipality", the city council's "Respect Your Child" campaign was awarded the "Sports Measure of the Year 2019" prize and the Portuguese Institute of Sport and Youth awarded our municipality the "Flag of Ethics" in 2019 as part of the National Plan for Ethics in Sport.
Since their origins, San Juan residents have always demonstrated an avant-garde sporting culture, with countless success stories and exceptional results achieved over time, both collectively and individually.
Municipal sports facilities are, in most cases, the main spaces that clubs have for attracting and training athletes and, likewise, the only places where they can compete.
The network of sports infrastructures in the Municipality of São João da Madeira is characterized not only by the existence of 84 sports facilities, but also by its diversity, providing a wide range of infrastructures for free practice, thus boosting informal physical activity.
Sport is ultimately promoted by the municipality as a way of improving quality of life and a factor in economic, tourist, cultural, health, educational and environmental development.
