The Cortiçada Legend

The Cortiçada Legend is a folk story from the Beira Baixa region, in Portugal, associated with the city of Proença-a-Nova. The legend tells the story of a dreamy people who lived in a land called Cortiçada, known for its abundance of cork.

According to legend, the inhabitants of Cortiçada admired the moon so much that they decided to build a tower to reach it. At the site of Oliveirinhas da Serra, they began to pile up cork layers, which were abundant in the region. Construction of the tower progressed slowly, with workers moving up and down, stacking the cork layers higher and higher.

When the tower was almost complete, with just one cork layer left to reach the moon, the builders realized that there were no more cork pieces available in the entire county. In a moment of inspiration, someone suggested removing a cork layer from the base and placing it on top. However, this action caused the tower to completely collapse.

The legend ends with someone, supposedly from neighboring Sobreira Formosa, exclaiming sarcastically: “There goes the cortiçada!”. This story reflects the dreamy and entrepreneurial spirit of the region’s inhabitants, despite the failure of their ambitious venture.

Currently, a sculpture by Carlos Farinha in Largo da Devesa in Proença-a-Nova pays homage to this legend. The work depicts a child holding the last cork layer at the top of the tower, symbolizing the persistence of the dream and the support of the community.

As a result of this legend, the inhabitants of Proença-a-Nova are sometimes called “corticolas” or “corticeiros”, while the neighbors of Sobreira Formosa are nicknamed “cascarros”, referring to the worst part of the cork oak’s bark.