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Foz
Municipality
Flag of Foz
Flag
Coat of arms of Foz
Coat of arms
Location of Foz
Location of Foz
Country Spain
Autonomous community Galicia
ProvinceLugo
ComarcaA Mariña Central
Government
 • AlcaldeJavier Jorge Castiñeira (PP)
Demonym(s)Focego/focega, Focense
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
27780
WebsiteOfficial website

Foz[1] (Galician pronunciation: [fɔθ]) is a town and municipality in the A Mariña Central comarca in the Galician province of Lugo. It has been historically linked to the Ancient Province of Mondoñedo and also linked to the arrival of Briton immigrants during the Dark Ages (5th and 6th centuries) fleeing by sea from the British Isles (see Bishop Maeloc, Britonia and San Martiño de Mondoñedo). It has 9800 inhabitants. It borders the coastal municipalities of Burela and Barreiros, and the inland municipalities of Lourenzá, Mondoñedo, O Valadouro, Alfoz, and Cervo.

Foz is a coastal town on the shores of the Cantabrian Sea at the mouth of the river Masma, which forms the Foz estuary, with an approximate area of 100 km².

Although Foz was previously a fishing village, most of its economic resources now come from tourism.

Etymology

The name Foz comes from the Latin word faux[2] which graphically describes the river mouth of the Masma river; Foz is the Galician term for base level.

History

The foundation of Foz dates back to pre-Roman times, as attested by the existing forts Fazouro and Pena do Altar. Its foundation may originate in the time of the Ártabros or, according to the historian Amor Meilán, a factory may have been established by the Tartessos.

During the ninth century the town had flourished since the establishment of the episcopal headquarters in San Martiño de Mondoñedo.

At the time of Ferdinand and Isabella, Foz kept certain privileges and exemptions as a result of its commercial importance.

During the sixteenth and seventeenth Foz had a major port and one of the three most important shipyards in Galicia. Shipowners and fishermen engaged mainly in whaling. This important fishery has declined over time, but today there is still an important seafaring tradition.

The main monuments of Foz are the Basilica de San Martiño and the Manor of the Counts of Fontao

Port of Foz

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Spain

Twin towns – sister cities

Foz is twinned with:[3]

References

  1. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado (ed.). "Decreto 6/2000, de 7 de enero, por el que se aprueba el nomenclátor correspondiente a las entidades de población de la provincia de Lugo".
  2. ^ Entrada en el DRAE
  3. ^ "Foz revitaliza el hermanamiento con Tregastel" (in Spanish). La Voz de Galicia. Retrieved 14 November 2023.

43°34′10″N 7°15′30″W / 43.56944°N 7.25833°W / 43.56944; -7.25833

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