Last modified: 2005-04-29 by
Keywords: barcelos | coat of arms | quinas | waves: 5 | aqueduct | river cávado |
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![[Barcelos municipality]](../images/p/pt-bcl.gif)
The flag is typical: a gyronny of red over yellow, with coat of arms at the centre composed of a 5-towered mural crown, a scroll reading "CIDADE DE BARCELOS" and a shield with almost as many charges as the number of communes! The background is blue and then it has in chef three pointy escutcheons, the central one silver with a hollow red saltire, and the other ones silver with the portuguese quinas. In the point, 5 silver and blue wavy stripes and along the middle we can find a yellow tower with red door and windows, a strange ground-level building also yellow with red door and windows, a yellow wall and either a bridge or an aqueduct superimposed on the wall, plus a stylized tree and yet another yellow building with red door and window: this is probably a chapel, though the pinnacle is rather strange.
Jorge Candeias, 13 Oct 1998
The only charge that makes immediate sense are the wavy lines, that stand for the river Cávado that crosses the municipality from east to west and passes by the municipal head, and also perhaps the bridge or aqueduct, I donʼt know.
Jorge Candeias, 13 Oct 1998
![[Barcelos plain flag]](../images/p/pt-bcl'.gif)
Gyronny of red and yellow.
Jorge Candeias, 21 Jul 1999
Barcelos is a city in Northern Portugal, in the district of Braga, old province of Minho, and possible future region of Entre Douro e Minho. The municipality is not very large, 378.7 sq.km, but relatively well populated, 116 200 inhabitants, and breaks all records concerning the number of communes: 89! The economy is based on industry, particularly clothes and shoes, and also agriculture. This place is also quite known abroad by itʼs unique form of handicraft, the Barcelos cock (as in rooster... donʼt confuse this with the handicraft from Caldas da Rainha...)
Jorge Candeias, 13 Oct 1998