The contract awarding the conservation and restoration work, a print from the opening page of the Sul Informação of today as well as another impression of the article about the restoration, a message for future generations, from the entire executive of Câmara de Lagoa, with photos of the mayors, as well as a pen driveWith the timelapse about the works and the documentary produced and two coins from the current year.
It was all this that this Tuesday, July 10, 2018, was kept in a time capsule, a watertight tube buried next to Torre da Lapa, the old watchtower on the coast of Lagoa, whose restoration was inaugurated today.
«100 years from now, when they open this, there are no more computers to open this pen and see what's inside», joked Francisco Martins, mayor of Lagoa. Together with Alexandra Gonçalves, regional director of Culture, and commander Santos Arrabaça, captain of the Port of Portimão, the mayor of Lagos deposited this time capsule in a hole near Torre da Lapa.
“It is a testimony of our days, of what is known about this tower and of what we have done for its conservation, which we leave here for those who come after us”, added José Fernando Vieira, landscape architect at Câmara de Lagoa.
“I want to thank, as mayor, the stubborn people who did this. Four years ago, when people started talking about the restoration of Torre da Lapa, at the Municipal Assembly they said no, that it wasn't possible. But live the stubbornness of a few, the councilor [Anabela Simão] and José Vieira. It's with a lot of stubbornness, a lot of persistence, a lot of work that you don't see that these things come up», underlined Francisco Martins.
The regional director of Culture, on the other hand, classified the restoration of the old watchtower, which was very ruined, as a "conquest".
Alexandra Gonçalves also praised the documentary produced by Câmara de Lagoa, with house silver, about the history and stories of Torre da Lapa. «It can be seen that there is a lot of research work at the base here, a research work on history and memory, not only of this place, but also of the surrounding richness. The investigation is a hidden, silent work, but it is essential», he said.
"Preserving is very important, but so is creating mechanisms for interpreting this cultural and natural heritage, for those who visit us and for the surrounding community," he added.
«For all this, Câmara de Lagoa brought together a wonderful team, and the final product, whether from the recovery or from the documentary, is wonderful and now becomes public, being available to everyone», stressed Alexandra Gonçalves. THE icing on this cake will be Torre da Lapa rating as a «property of national interest», which is «soon», guaranteed the regional director of Culture of the Algarve.
But this Tuesday morning was also used for another inauguration: that of the new pedestrian route along the cliffs of the coast of Lagoa, called «Caminho dos Promontórios», which, by the way, integrates the Torre da Lapa in its path.
José Vieira pointed out that the trail runs along "a succession of headlands, which are not magnificent but beautiful". Between Praia do Molhe, next to Ferragudo and the Farol from Ponta do Altar, and Praia do Paraíso, near Carvoeiro, are 7 kilometers of pedestrian route, duly signposted, with stop zones and informational panels… and a breathtaking landscape.
In addition to Torre da Lapa, there are other points of great heritage interest along the way, such as the farol or the so-called Presa da Moura, an ancient Roman dam in the Lapa Valley.
In terms of natural heritage, José Fernando Vieira highlights Leixão da Gaivota, opposite Praia dos Caneiros, which is a Special Protection Area for birds, the orchids that appear on the limestone cliffs in winter or the two pairs of peregrine falcons that there they nest.
Or even the geological richness of the cliffs themselves, as the trail extends along seven kilometers of coastline and focuses on a limestone rock platform with an altitude that varies between 2,5 and 40 meters. This route is interrupted by suspended valleys, small coves and sandy beaches (beaches) and, occasionally, marked by natural vertical cavities called “algares”.
The Caminho dos Promontórios (a second phase of the Caminho do Algar Seco) is a joint investment worth 118.500 euros.
It complements two other pedestrian routes along the coast of Lagoa: the Algar Seco path (near Carvoeiro, accessible to people with reduced mobility), and the 7 Suspended Valleys Route (between Praia de Vale Centeanes and Praia da Marinha). Together, they allow you to discover and discover more than half of the county's coastline.
Timelapse video of conservation and restoration works:
Click here to see the documentary about the history and stories of Torre da Lapa
Text for future generations that was kept in the time capsule, buried next to Torre da Lapa:
«THE TOWER OF LAPA AND THE MEMORIES OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ALGARVE
There is a path that crosses history and unites the people of the Algarve here and there, those of today and those of other times. There are memories to preserve, stories and adventures to tell, which help us understand who we are and ensure that we understand the past and the motivations of those who came before us.
There are memories engraved in the archives, but there are also stones with memory; unavoidable records in the consolidation of an identity, to understand who we are as a people, but also as individuals. In fact, our history invariably determines the way forward in the future.
The decision and commitment to the recovery and preservation of Torre da Lapa is based on these principles, but also on a vision, in which the enhancement and protection of the territory and its natural and heritage values enhance pedagogical, respectful and sustainable visitation.
The Torre da Lapa, built in the XNUMXth century to ensure the surveillance of an important stretch of coast, is a simple historical legacy, however, it is also an eloquent testimony of a troubled past that is important to revisit. A time when the Algarve was "iron and fire" under the onslaught of pirates and corsairs of various origins, which forced a strong commitment to the construction of a complex defense and surveillance structure, along the entire coast, which this monument was part.
The recognition of this heritage value has led to it being classified as a Monument of Public Interest.
Torre da Lapa's resilience to the passage of time inspired the local authority of Lagoa to register and send to the future the motivations for their commitment to the restoration of this monument. The message we leave you here is conveyed by those who sought to understand and interpret the people and the territory, in this XNUMXst century teeming with change and enormous challenges. May we leave you a better world.
To the Generation that accede to this testimony, we leave a heartfelt greeting.
Torre da Lapa, Lagoa, July 10, 2018»
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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