Moinho das Fontes / Fontes Watermill
Posted by: manchanegra
N 37° 09.725 W 008° 29.190
29S E 545592 N 4112976
This is an old Tide Mill dating from the XV Century
Waymark Code: WMVY1
Location: Faro, Portugal
Date Posted: 10/21/2006
Views: 38
The Fontes Watermill is an old tide mill dating from the XV Century.
There are still around 20 of this mills in the Arade River between Portimão and Silves, mostly in bad condition or in ruins but, that shows how important they were for the regions economy in the past.
The principle is very simple. There´s a water dam near the mill. When the tide goes up the dam is open so the water can go in. When the tide starts to go down the dam is closed and the water is redirected to another canal where the millstones are. The ater coming out makes the millstones work.
The faarm where the mill is located was bought by the city hall of Lagoa and the mill and some nearby structures were fully recovered.
The all place is now a town park with lots of educational activities for the local students and some cultural activities in the hot summer nights.
There´s also a natural spring nearby whose waters run right into the dam. In the summer, the dam is closed and full of this water and the place is used has a beach.
It´s a very nice place to get some sun and take a swim.
The published coordinates will take to the front door of the mill.
Current Status: Still In Use
Current Use: For demonstration and educational purposes
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