The Cultural Directorate of the Algarve has announced a €4.3 million spend on some of the region’s most important national monuments, including the castles at Silves and Paderne.
The magalithic remains at Alcalar, the Roman buildings at Milreu and the fort at Sagres all will benefit from the grant under the CRESC Algarve 2020 programme.
The Regional Directorate of Culture said the tower and walls of Paderne castle (pictured) will be conserved and retored, with Silves castle receiving long-overdue work to its main portal.
One of the megalithic monuments at Alcalar in Portimão will be restored and the surrounding area improved.
The fortress at Sagres will have a multimedia exhibition centre installed which will concentrate on the Portuguese Discoveries.
The Culture Directorate also is working on other joint ventures such as a cultural week on golbalisation and another about the Mediterranean diet.
"We are aware that (funding) needs always outstrip availability but we have been looking at the need to maintain our heritage on an annual basis and have identified priorities, certain that the competitiveness of the Algarve is linked to its cultural and heritage resources and the capacity of various public entities to create investment in these areas" read a statement from the Algarve’s Cultural Directorate, which added that, "The preservation, rehabilitation and enhancement of cultural heritage have significant relevance for the promotion and affirmation of the cultural identity of the Algarve region."
"Preserving and restoring our heritage implies the appropriate use of constantly evolving practices and methods of work so as to bequeath our history to future generations.”
The €4.3 million budget is a good start in this regard.
