Description Marinha Grande

Marinha Grande is a Portuguese city in the district of Leiria, in the province of Estremadura, integrating the Intermunicipal Community of the Region of Leiria, in the region of Central Portugal, with about 10 500 inhabitants.

It is the seat of a municipality with an area of ??187.25 km² and 38 681 inhabitants (2011), subdivided into 3 parishes. The municipality is limited to the north and east by the municipality of Leiria, to the south by Alcobaça and to the west it has a coastline on the Atlantic Ocean. Wikipedia

The history of Marinha Grande is linked to the existence of the 11,500 hectares of Pinhal de Leiria, also known as Pinhal do Rei, a maritime pine forest planted in the 19th century. XIII by D. Afonso III and increased by his son D. Dinis.

Initially intended to sustain the sands of the coast that invaded the cultivated land, Pinhal would later supply the wood necessary for the construction of ships and caravels for the Portuguese Discoveries. The presence of the pine forest and the sands of the Atlantic beaches were decisive for the role of the region in the tradition of the metallurgical and glass industry in Portugal.

Thus understood the Marquis of Pombal, minister of D. José I, when granting in 1769 to the English industrialist William Stephens permit to found the Real Glass Factory of Guilherme Stephens. The project was continued by a brother of Guilherme, João Diogo Stephens, who after his death left him as a testament to the Portuguese Nation.

Fueled by the abundance of raw materials necessary for its manufacture, firewood and sand, the region has since become the center of Portuguese glass and crystal manufacturing, which bears the mark of the mastery of many generations of worker-artists in production of unique pieces of recognized quality worldwide.

In the center of the main square of Marinha Grande, where the Paços do Concelho building stands out, you will find the bust of Guilherme Stephens, designed by Luís Fernandes, a tribute to all the factory workers who, in 1941, paid to pay it. A beautiful iron gate gives access to a garden where the Glass Museum is located, located in the Stephens Palace. Here you can enjoy the admirable collections of artistic objects created over more than 200 years, as well as the manufacturing center.

Complete the visit by breathing in the invigorating Atlantic air of Praias do Litoral.