Alcoutim, Portugal

We visited this charming little village on a day trip during our recent holiday in Portugal.


These two olive oil and/or grape presses were on an island in the road when you came into the "new" town at the top of the hill.




The old town was further down the hill and on the riverside. We walked up the steep paths -




- to see this wonderful view from the wall of the old castle -




A view from the inside of the castle grounds -




- and also one from inside the small museam there -

 

The crematory could be seen from the outside of the castle -




There was a small park-like area on the way down, with this waterfall and a few orange trees and benches, including lights for in the evening




Various flowers were growing from cracks in the walls -




A very steep lane to some of the houses -

 

This is a view across the Rio Guadiana to the Spanish town of Sanlúcar de Guadiana -




A view up river -




- and a view down river to the sea -

 

A little info about Alcoutim from the Portuguese Tourist Board -


The History of the Municipality of Alcoutim

Menhirs and dolmens testify to a human presence at the end of the Neolithic and beginning of the Chalcolithic (approximately 4,000 B.C), in the context of the megalithic culture that covered the whole of what is now Portugal.

It was the deposits of copper, iron and manganese however that attracted men from about 2,500 B.C. until the time of the Roman occupation and a number of mines were established. The ores dug from them were smelted locally, then shipped down the Guadiana river to the Mediterranean and from there to the four corners of the Empire.

Human occupation continued under the rule first of the Visigoths and then the Moors (5th to 13th centuries), often on the same sites, giving rise, after the Christian reconquest, to some of the settlements still to be found in Alcoutim municipality.

Alcoutim's origins are presumably linked to the, fact that it is situated at the place where the Guadiana becomes tidal. The vessels that plied the trade in metals and other mares were obliged to wait at this spot for hours, until conditions allowed them to sail down the river. Consequently there was a need for structures to support and defend them.

Conquered during the reign of King Sancho II, in 1240. The town of Alcoutim was not repopulated until that of King Dinis, who granted it a charter in 1304 arid, in view of its strategic position in relation to the neighbouring kingdom of Castile, granted it to the Military Order of Sant' Tiago (St. James).

At the time of the wars between Portugal and Castile in the 14th century, a peace treaty between kings D. Fernando I and D. Henrique was signed in the middle of the river, opposite Alcoutim.

There followed centuries of peace, interrupted only by the War of the Restoration (1640-168) and, in the first half of the 19th century, by the struggle between liberals and defenders of the absolutist monarchy, when the fearless guerrilla leader Remexido hid with his forces in the hills of Alcoutim and the surrounding region.

The decline of the mining industry, the difficulty of raising crops on the area's poor soils, the town's distance from the coast and the Guadiana river's diminishing importance as a transport route all led to a lengthy period of economic stagnation for Alcoutim and its municipality chat has only gradually been reversed in recent decades.

 

On the road from the newer upper town to the lower old town, there were lots of large tile pictures set into a wall, depicting various scenes from the past and present. Here are a few of them -

 

What a lovely place K, quite hilly, hard on the old pins!. The tile pics are fantastic.:gnthb:

 

Lovely pics, Sis ..... shame it was such a grey day ... just proves we have them here .... :D We were forecast rain today and through the weekend ... blue skies and sunshine and we had lunch at the beach in Praia Grande before the hospital visit. :thumb:

Interesting history narrative. I also love the tiles, especially the donkey ones .... :gnthb:

As you know, we have never been there so must make an effort to do a day trip ... but I'll chose a sunny day ....

Seeing Spain there, they are closing the bridge from Portugal to Spain over the Guardiana for about three months commencing the beginning of the year .... I wonder how folk will to and fro as some people work in one country and live in the other? Can you cross up at Alcoutim? If so, what a nightmare of a detour .....s00k

 

Excuse me being a bit niave but how did they get the pictures on the tiles is it the same as the modern day tradition

 

Nathan, they still do them as they did donkey's years ago (no pun :D) ... hand painted and then fired in a kiiln. There are many, many places here doing it. It's still a tradition not only for the 'tourist' industry but for the country .... it's absolutely wonderful! :flwsml:

 

Fascinating thread. Great pics K-G and good to read the background info LOL. It looks like a really interesting place.

 

Thanks strongy, Sis, nathan7 and Dave.

Never mind hard on the old pins, strongy - my lungs were screaming.

Thanks for answering for me re the tiles, Sis.

Sis. We assume that the bridge will only be closed one side at a time. There is a ferry but it could never take care of all the cars crossing back and forth every day. There is a ferry between Alcoutim and Sanlúcar, but it seems to be a very small one and we didn't see it running while we were there. So that option is out. Anyway, Alcoutim is too far upriver and the small road that runs alongside most of the way .............. Couldn't find a decent road on the Spanish side when we planned to drive up to Sanlúcar and we looked on a couple of maps.

Dave - yes, it was very interesting. We should have read some info before we went, then we would have had a lot more from the day trip.

 

Thanks K for sharing your trip. I love this sort of thread and the education it brings.
robert