From the Roman city of Cetobriga to the 20th-century canning factories.

Setúbal is a city whose history is inseparable from the sea, salt, and fish. The first settlements on the banks of the Sado estuary appeared during the Roman era, when garum — the famous fish sauce exported throughout the empire — was produced here. After the Moorish period and the Reconquista, the city received its charter from the Knights of the Order of Santiago (1249) and became an important port during the Age of Discoveries.

The 1755 earthquake destroyed much of the city, but Setúbal recovered and by the 19th century had become Portugal’s largest canning industry centre. Dozens of factories, thousands of workers, trade union struggles, and political resistance to the Estado Novo dictatorship — all of this shaped the reputation of the “Red City” that Setúbal maintains to this day.

In this section — the key eras and events that defined the face of modern Setúbal.