Covilhã

For 800 years there has been the work of wool that today is reflected in modern industrial units, Covilhã being one of the main wool centers in Europe and for this reason it is a location with a strong worker culture. Few urban centers can assume a regular economic activity over eight centuries, but this is the case of Covilhã and the wool work. As a manufacturer first, as an industry later, the fact remains that today the city is one of the main European centers for wool production.
In 1945, Covilhã's 140 factories employed more than 6,000 workers. In 1954, there were 310 industrialists, with 1,334 mechanical looms and 723 manual looms, and more than 7,000 workers. In 1960, the 104 existing companies employed more than 8,529 workers. In 1973, 1,598 machine looms and 8,221 workers were registered.