Industrial

Industrial

Obidos Aqueduct
Obidos Aqueduct
Anitsircana | BY-SA

The arches of the Aqueduto de Óbidos, or Óbidos Aqueduct, together create a simplistic form that has cut across the landscape to supply the town with water since it was first constructed on the orders of Catherine of Austria, the queen consort to King João III, in the 1570s. To fund it, she had to sell other lands under her ownership nearby, demonstrating just how important she thought the project was.

Running to the southeast, it has a total length of three kilometres, connecting up with a further three kilometres of tunnels which then begin at a natural spring close to Usseira. At...

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Alfândega Régia - Vila do Conde
Alfândega Régia - Vila do Conde
Jose Goncalves | BY-SA

Vila do Conde has been one of Portugal's foremost ship-building ports since the 1200s, when a powerful navy was arguably even more important than it is today. This heritage eventually led to Portuguese sailors making some of the most important discoveries of the era, marking out routes to Brazil, Africa and India. This intriguing history is told through the three main exhibition spaces within the Museum of Naval Construction, also known as the Alfândega Régia.

Situated on the banks of the River Ave in a former customs house, the museum is a treasure trove of objects that together...

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Mercado do Livramento - Setubal
Mercado do Livramento

Foodies with adore Setúbal's indoor Mercado do Livramento. It's an incredible place to head to sample those typical Portuguese flavours from bacalhau (salt-dried cod) to pasteis de nata (custard tarts). The array of fresh produce on sale here is simply mesmerising, with around 300 independent vendors all housed under the one roof. The fact that the market remains an integral part of Setúbal life and culture makes the market all the more impressive to behold.

Wander this vast warehouse-like space to soak up the atmosphere, or make your way among the stalls to pick and choose the very...

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Vila do Conde aqueduct
Sergei Gussev | BY-SA

Virtually from the founding of the Santa Clara monastery in the early 14th century it was apparent that having an adequate water supply was going to be an issue. Initially there was a cistern within the monastery but as it grew this was no longer sufficient.

In 1626 an ambitious construction project to carry water from a spring on high ground at Terroso, around 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) away, commenced. It was 10 years before the next abbot realised there had been something of a catastrophic miscalculation; a significant slope in the original route meant the building work to date was...

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Museu de Portimao
Museu de Portimao
urfl

Portimao’s award-winning museum opened in 2008 and is a good place to come to learn more of what life would have been like for those who lived in the locality throughout the ages.  The site was once a fish canning factory, and the main focus is on the industrial processes once carried out here.  The 1000 square metre main exhibition is divided into three distinct areas:

Origin and Destiny of a Community

This section follows the lives of those living in the Portimao and Alvor regions from Neolithic times right up until the present day.  There are...

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Aqueduto da Agua da Prata - Evora
Aqueduto da Agua da Prata
Nikater | BY-SA

Literally meaning the "Aqueduct of Silver Water", the Agua de Prata Aqueduct is an incredible testament to 16th century engineering.  It was built to ensure that the strategically important citadel of Elvira would not run out of clean drinking water during the hot, dry summers. King John III of Portugal appointed Francisco de Arruda, who had built Lisbon's Belem Tower to oversee the project, which took six years to construct, finally opening in 1537. 

The aqueduct was 18 kilometres in length and linked ...

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Parque da Mina, Monchique
Parque da Mina
Zbigniew Rutkowski | BY-SA

The Parque da Mina is a theme park with a genuine theme. Centered on an old iron ore mine the park provides an an entertaining view of the workings of the mine along with a range of fun activities in the surrounding park.

On the heritage side of things you can learn about the workings of the mine, visit the medronho (moonshine) distillery and tour the 18th century manor house. There is also a nature trail through the landscaped surrounds of the Sierra de Monchique with plenty of picnic spots amongst the trees.

The park is home to a small petting zoo with a range of animals to...

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Museu da Eletricidade - Lisbon
Electricity Museum - Lisbon
Carlos da Cruz

The Electricity Museum (Museu da Electricidade) is housed in the old power station on the banks of the river Tejo in Belém. In an area crammed full of historic monuments the Electricity Museum could be overlooked, however, it has worked hard to broaden its appeal and is far more worthy of a visit than its name might suggest!

The primary subject of the museum is the Tejo Power Station and how electricity was made there. But the building itself and the huge spaces within are probably the main attraction. Built between 1908 and 1951 this is one of the finest examples of industrial...

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