The legacy left by Infante D. Henrique in the Algarve, but not only that, continues on his “path”, in search of inclusion in the Indicative List of Portugal as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The president of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), the entity that leads the process, and the regional director of Culture of the Algarve, as well as other entities, were this Monday in Lisbon to make a first presentation of the comprehensive application «Places of 1st Globalization» to the national committee of that international organization.
In this meeting with the panel that will decide the approval or rejection of the candidacy, Desidério Silva made a presentation of the project and its objectives, while Alexandra Gonçalves advanced the technical arguments that support it.
Second revealed to Sul Informação the president of Turismo do Algarve, during the next month, and before the final presentation, the RTA, with the support of the Regional Directorate of Culture and the University of the Algarve, will «adjust the proposal and correct any problems that may exist», in order trying to convince the UNESCO jury before the end of the year.
One of the trump cards that Desidério Silva counts on, to convince the national commission of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture, is the great scope of this candidacy.
The «Places of the 1st Globalization» brings together not only the three entities most linked to its elaboration, but it also has a partnership with eight municipalities in the Algarve., to which, in the meantime, other national regions and other countries have joined, namely the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, Cape Verde and the Moroccan towns of Ceuta, Tangier and Alcácer Ceguer.
“This candidacy intends to follow the paths and paths of the Infante D. Henrique era, many of which started here in the Algarve”, said Desidério Silva. Hence the inclusion of so many sites in the project, all of them “with built heritage and history linked to this period”.
And if, in some cases, such as in Vila do Bispo and Lagos, the connection with Infante is better known, the contribution of other places in the Algarve to the effort of the Discoveries, whose main figure is Infante, is not so obvious. But this is no less important.
In Monchique, Infante D. Henrique went to get «wood used for shipbuilding, as well as the large production of wax for the grouting of ships and waterproofing their sails», according to the mayor of Monchique Rui André, who was also in Lisbon, this Monday, as part of the delegation that accompanied Desidério Silva and Alexandra Gonçalves.
Silves, right next door, was the place where D. Henrique lived, in the Algarve, having been mayor of his castle. On the other hand, Tavira, in addition to its importance as a Plaza de Armas (similar to Castro Marim), «was the place where Infante D. Henrique was knighted in the Order of Christ», according to Alexandra Gonçalves.
Aljezur's contribution was closely linked to the foodstuffs that supplied the boats. Alvor would have been owned by D. Henrique and “a prominent place in the Bay of Lagos in the second half of the XNUMXth century”.
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