Paços de Ferreira
Paços de Ferreira is a city in northern Portugal, in the Porto District. It covers about 71 square kilometers. The city had around 7,500 residents in 2011, and the municipality about 56,000.
The town is known as the Capital do Móvel (capital of furniture) because furniture making is the main industry. About 5,000 furniture companies operate there, and it has Europe’s largest furniture fair area (about 2.5 million square meters). IKEA also runs operations in Portugal from Paços de Ferreira.
Its football team, FC Paços de Ferreira, has played in European competitions and was runner-up in the Portuguese Cup (2008–09) and the Portuguese League Cup (2010–11).
People have lived in the area since prehistoric times. Nearby is the Citânia de Sanfins hillfort, a major Celtic settlement. In medieval times, the Ferreira monastery and noble families in Frazão were important centers. The municipality was created in 1836, with Santa Eulália de Paços de Ferreira as its capital.
In the 20th century, local teacher Albino de Matos invented new tools for furniture making, helping start the industry nationwide. Paços de Ferreira was named a city in 1993.
The municipality is divided into 12 civil parishes. The climate is warm-summer Mediterranean: cool, very rainy winters and warm, dry summers.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:34 (CET).