Leiria

Leiria (Portuguese pronunciation: [lɐjˈɾi.ɐ]) is a city and a municipality in the Centro Region of Portugal. It is the capital of Leiria District. The population in 2011 was 126,879, in an area of 565.09 km². The city proper has about 60,000 inhabitants. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Leiria-Fátima.

History

The region around Leiria has been inhabited for a long time, although its early history is obscure. The first evident inhabitants were the Turduli Oppidani, a Celtiberian tribe (akin to the Lusitanians), who established a settlement near (around 7 km) present-day Leiria. This settlement was later occupied by the Romans, who expanded it under the original Celtiberian name Collippo. The stones of the ancient Roman town were used in the Middle Ages to build much of Leiria.

The name "Leiria" in Portuguese derives from 'leira' (from the medieval Galician-Portuguese form 'laria', from proto-Celtic *ɸlār-yo-, akin to Old Irish 'làr' 'ground, floor', Breton 'leur' 'ground', Welsh 'llawr' 'floor') meaning an area with small farming plots. It was occupied by the Suebi in 414 and later incorporated by Leovigild into the Visigoths kingdom in 585 A.D. Later the Moors occupied the area until it was captured by the first King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques in 1135, during the so-called Reconquista. The settlement was intermittently attacked until 1140. South of Leiria in that period was the so-called "no-man's land", until regions further south (like Santarém and Lisbon) were permanently taken and re-populated by the Christians. In 1142 Afonso Henriques gave Leiria its first foral (compilation of feudal rights) to stimulate the colonisation of the region.

Polytechnic Institute of Leiria

The Polytechnic Institute of Leiria (IPL) is a public institution of Higher Education that offers courses of training on an Undergraduate Degree, Masters, Post-Graduate, Technology Specialization and Preparation Courses for Access to Higher Education level. It began its activity in 1980 and is present in the Leiria and West region through its five schools, divided in five campus, located in the cities of Leiria (School of Education and Social Sciences, School of Technology and Management and School of Health Sciences), Caldas da Rainha (School of Fine Art and Design) and Peniche (School of Tourism and Maritime Technology). IPL offers Undergraduate e master's degrees courses in the areas of: Art and Design, Law studies, Education and Communication, Engineering and Technology, Tourism and Health.

IPL’s Campus

Campus 1 In IPL’s Campus 1 there is the School of Education and Social Sciences (ESECS) which develops its training activity in the areas of Human and Social Sciences, Communication and Teacher Training. It is attended by approximately 1.700 students.