Choupal National Forest
National Forest in Portugal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
National Forest in Portugal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Choupal National Forest (Portuguese: Mata Nacional do Choupal) is a national forest in Coimbra, Portugal.[1] It is a short distance from the city downtown and runs alongside the Mondego River. The forest has trails for jogging, walking, cycling and horse-riding.[2]
This grove of poplar trees (choupos, whence choupal "poplar grove"), was planted in an attempt to stop the floods of the Mondego river. In 1791, the engineer and Padre (Father, priest) Estêvão Cabral directed a big project that was meant to decrease the levels of silt in the river. The trees of Choupal were therefore planted to allow a better settling of the riverbed. Since the 19th century many other trees, including planes (sycamores; Platanus orientalis), beeches, laurels, and eucalyptus have grown in the area. Today the forest is a popular place for recreation, exercise and picnics.
Choupal is located within the northwestern section of Coimbra, bordering the right-side margins of the Mondego for about 2 kilometres. It is served by the EN111 National Highway , which connects Coimbra to Figueira da Foz; or by the Coimbra-B train station. Its territory, approximately 198 acres in extension, occupies portions of both the Santa Cruz and São Martinho do Bispo parishes.
Taking into consideration its characteristics and sensitivity, Choupal can be divided in three different zones:
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