Soure (), officially the Town of Soure (), is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 19,245,Instituto Nacional de Estatística in an area of 265.06 km².Áreas das freguesias, concelhos, distritos e país It includes a castle listed as a national monument.

The village of Paleão, located a few kilometers from the village of Soure, is one of the largest clusters of houses in the municipality, where the old cotton and linen factory is located.

In January 2026, Storm Kristin caused a catastrophic damage in the municipality of Soure.

Parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 10 civil parishes (freguesias): Alfarelos Degracias e Pombalinho Figueiró do Campo Gesteira e Brunhós Granja do Ulmeiro Samuel Soure Tapeus Vila Nova de Anços Vinha da Rainha

Soure is one of the few territorially discontinuous municipalities in Portugal. The case of Soure is unique in the Portuguese context, as the discontinuity of the municipality is twofoldInstituto Geográfico do Exército (cartografia): Limites do município de Soure and is due to the territorial discontinuity of two of its parishes: Degracias and Pombalinho, and Figueiró do Campo.

Degracias and Pombalinho parish has a small exclave embedded between the municipalities of Penela (in the district of Coimbra) and Ansião (in the district of Leiria).

Figueiró do Campo parish has an even smaller exclave, sandwiched between two parishes in the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, effectively creating a small enclave in this municipality in the district of Coimbra.

Geography The municipality is bound to the north by the municipality of Montemor-o-Velho, to the northeast by Condeixa-a-Nova, to the east by Penela, to the southeast by Ansião, to the south by Pombal and to the west by Figueira da Foz.

Climate

Population

According to data of National Institute of Statistics (INE), in 2021 the district of Coimbra recorded a population decrease of around 5.0% compared to the results of the 2011 census. In the municipality of Soure, the decrease was around 10.3%.

+ Number of inhabitants by Age Group INE - http://censos.ine.pt/xportal/xmain?xpid=CENSOS&xpgid=censos_quadros 1900 1911 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1981 1991 2001 2011 20210-14 years 6 758 7 544 6 520 7 169 7 187 6 777 6 687 4 660 4 672 3 479 2 519 2 258 1 76115-24 years 3 427 4 043 4 338 4 008 4 195 4 492 3 949 3 210 3 190 3 001 2 663 1 671 1 49525-64 years 8 761 9 300 9 522 10 354 11 162 12 292 13 134 11 215 10 868 10 883 10 530 9 930 8 227≥ 65 years 1 198 1 419 1 374 1 852 2 059 2 276 2 805 2 940 3 840 4 341 5 228 5 386 5 778 (Note: From 1900 to 1950, the data refer to the "de facto" population, that is, those who were present in the municipality at the time the censuses were carried out. Hence, there are some differences in relation to the designated resident population)

Transport Railway Linha do Norte (Northern Line) has four stations in the Soure municipality (from south to north): Simoes Soure Vila Nova de Anços Alfarelos (also known as Alfarelos - Granja do UlmeiroComboios Regionais : Linha do Oeste : Lisboa / Mira Sintra-Meleças ⇄ Caldas da Rainha / Coimbra («horário em vigor desde 2022.12.11»).)

According to 2023 data, Soure station is served by C.P. regional passenger trains, typically with eleven trains per day in the Coimbra direction and twelve in the Entroncamento direction.Comboios Regionais : Linha do Norte : Entroncamento ⇄ Coimbra («horário em vigor desde 2022.12.11»). Esta informação refere-se aos dias úteis.

Alfarelos railway station, originally called Alfarellos,G. Audigier: Guia Official dos Caminhos de Ferro de Portugal 168 (1913.10). Pessoa & C.ª / Typ. Horas Romanticas: Lisboa: p.82-83 etc. is a railway station located in the parish of Granja do Ulmeiro. As a junction point for the Alfarelos branch on the Northern Line, it is an important station for rail service connections between Coimbra, Figueira da Foz, Porto, and Lisbon. As of 2023, Alfarelos is served by several types of C.P. passenger trains: Commuter train on the Coimbra-Figueira service, typically with 16 trains per day in each direction, some with extended stops (4-8 min.) at this station;Comboios Urbanos : Coimbra : Coimbra ⇄ Figueira da Foz («horário em vigor desde 11 dezembro 2022»). Esta informação refere-se aos dias úteis. Regional train, between Coimbra and Lisbon - Santa Apolónia or Entroncamento, typically with 13 daily circulations in each direction.Comboios Regionais : Linha do Norte : Entroncamento ⇄ Coimbra («horário em vigor desde 11 dezembro 2022»). Esta informação refere-se aos dias úteis. Inter-regional train, between Coimbra-B and Caldas da Rainha, typically with two trains per week in each direction.Comboios Urbanos : Coimbra : Coimbra ⇄ Figueira da Foz («horário em vigor desde 11 dezembro 2022»). Esta informação refere-se aos dias úteis.

Montemor railway station, which is on the Alfarelos branch and nominally serves the town of Montemor-o-Velho (3.7 km away), is located in the Alfarelos parish. It is served by Coimbra-Figueira commuter trains infrequently.

Road A1 motorway passes through Soure municipality and has one exit located southeast of the Paleão village. Number of the exit Km from Lisbon; Porto Exit road10A169; 134N 348

Religious sites There are several Roman Catholic churches in the Soure municipality.

References

External links Photos from Soure