Castro Marim

Cultures and Traditions of the World

This event is organised by the Altura Parish Council, in partnership with the Municipality of Castro Marim, with the support and collaboration of various local associations and businesses.

In April, dances are scheduled for the 4th at the headquarters of the Associação Recreativa e Cultural do Azinhal, on the 11th at the Clube de Caçadores e Pescadores das Furnazinhas, and on the 18th at the Clube Desportivo Caça e Pesca do Guadiana, in Corte Gago.

The programme concludes in May, with a dance on the 9th at the Antiga Escola do Barrocal/Associação Mito Algarvio and another on the 16th at the Centro de Convívio da Cumeada da Alta Mora.

These accordion evenings aim to help improve the quality of life of the older and more isolated inland communities, bringing entertainment and providing an excellent opportunity for social interaction, physical exercise, and the prevention of osteoarticular diseases and depression. This is one of the initiatives included in a policy to promote active ageing and a better quality of life, one of the key priorities of the Municipality of Castro Marim in the field of health.

Furnazinhas Village Brought to Life with Countryside Fair, Fun Run and Health Screenings

The village of Furnazinhas, in the parish of Odeleite, will host a range of events and initiatives on 19 April, including the Countryside Fair, a Fun Run/Walk, and a Health Action.

Between 8:30 am and 11:00 am, the junior and cadet members of the Fire Brigades of Vila Real de Santo António and Castro Marim will be offering blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol tests to the public.

Visitors are invited to make a small donation to support the purchase of equipment and uniforms for the training school.

At 10:00 am, the Fun Run/Walk organised by the Municipality of Castro Marim will begin, featuring routes of five and eleven kilometres.

The event is part of the Algarve Regional Walking and Running Calendar.

Registration is open until 17 April via telephone on 281 495 148 or 281 510 740, or by email at freguesiadeodeleite@gmail.com and tiago.gil@cm-castromarim.pt .

At the same time, another edition of the Countryside Fair will open its doors, where visitors can discover the very best the Algarve’s inland region has to offer, including handicrafts, local produce, farm animals, and bread- and cheese-making workshops. Musical entertainment will be provided by Silvino Campos and the Luz Folk Group (Tavira), in an event organised by the Odeleite Parish Council in partnership with the Municipality of Castro Marim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Municipality:

The elegant outline of flamingos, the gold of soft sand, the turquoise blue of warm waters; vast ranges of hills covered in a bright carpet of wild flowers; the tranquil countryside along the banks of the Guadiana, lush with orchards and vegetable gardens: these are just a few facets of a municipality that stretches from the sea to the hinterland, with a river as its boundary.

The remains of the first settlements in the area date from the Neolithic period (approximately 5000 years B.C.); these persisted into the Age of Metals, possibly by way of a fort situated on the hill where the castle now stands. During this period Castro Marim was closer to the sea than it is now. According to geological research it consisted of an island surrounded by shallow waters. For thousands of years Castro Marim was a port that offered shelter to the ships that sailed up the Guadiana river to collect the metals – above all copper – extracted from the mines in Alcoutim and Mértola. There is documentary evidence of the Phoenician and Roman presence in the area of the town which, during the time of the Moorish occupation, possessed a defensive structure that occupied what was originally the core of the present castle. In addition to the river routes on which Castro Marim’s prosperity was founded, the town was also connected to Lisbon by a Roman road that ran parallel to the Guadiana river and passed through Alcoutim, Mértola and Beja.

The Christian reconquest in 1242 was followed, in the second half of the 13th century, by a policy of repopulation and reinforcing local defences in view of the town’s strategic position on the border with the kingdom of Castile and attacks by Moorish raiders, from North Africa. This explains why the king D. Dinis (1261-1325) made Castro Marim the headquarters of the Order of Christ, which had been established in 1319 to replace the order of the Knights Templar. Years later, however, the Order of Christ was transferred to Tomar, and this marked the beginning of a period of waning fortunes for the town and its surrounding area, which saw its population decline. To reverse this pattern, in 1421 the king D. João I granted Castro Marim the privilege of being a “sanctuary for fugitives” – a place of shelter for refugees and wanted men with the aim of attracting new lifeblood. The town retained this privilege almost until the end of the 18th century. Cut off from the sea, with an economy based for centuries on fishing, salt production, agriculture and boat-building, the municipality of Castro Marim entered a long period of stagnation, relieved only by the growing dynamism of recent decades.

 On the top of one hill stands a castle, on the other a star-shaped fort. Between the two, the houses of Castro Marim are spread, with their colourful parapets, their flat roofs and their ornate chimneys sculpted into lace-like patterns. All around, the dark brown of the schist, set off by the cool blue of the river and, on the horizon, the sea.

Useful Contacts

Câmara

Address: R. Dr. José Alves Moreira 10, 8950-281 Castro Marim

Tel: 281 510 740

Email: expediente@cm-castromarim.pt

Bombeiros

Address: R. Francisco Sá Carneiro 29B, 8900-307 Vila Real de Santo António

Tel: 281 543 112

Junta de Freguesia

Address: Rua 25 de Abril, nº 14 8950-122 Castro Marim

Tel: 281 531 138