A contract has been signed for the conservation work to restore the Torre Albarrã part of Paderne castle and those involved met at the site for an pre-work ceremony.
This renovation work is possible due to the cooperation agreements signed a year ago with the Regional Directorate of Culture of Algarve (DRCAlg), Albufeira council and the Millennium BCP Foundation.
"Finally we have financial planning, that involves community funds, that involves the development of our cultural and natural heritage to enhance the the competitiveness of the region," said Alexandra Gonçalves, the regional director of DRCAlg, who said that this is only the first phase of the Paderne castle project which will run until the end of the year.
"This will be unprecedented work, for both the Algarve and Portugal, which will guide the execution of future restorations using the same type of ‘taipa’ (rammed earth)," said Gonçalves.
The project for the conservation and restoration using taipa has been authored by the architect Manuel Lopez Vicente, who has already overseen similar work at the castle.
This first phase of restoration and conservation will focus on the Torre Albarrã, a inone metre high defensive tower.
The investment for this first phase is €131,000 and is scheduled to be completed within 124 days. The total investment for Paderne castle is €590,000 with the next stage starting in 2018.
Around 60% of the total spend will be covered by the CRESC Algarve 2020 regional programme, with the remaining 40% financed by Albufeira council and the Millenium BCP Foundation.
Present at the opening ceremony was the president of the Millennium BCP Foundation, Fernando Nogueira, who said that "culture is something that can create added value for society and at the same time we are preserving the legacies that our ancestors have left us."
For the Mayor of Albufeira, Paderne castle, "is heritage that is part of the municipal policy of preserving our heritage, our identity, our history and also part of our tourism strategy."
The mayor also expressed the wish that the work will be top class, as this is "the only example we have in Portugal of this Almohad architecture."
See also:
- Paderne Castle tower to be rebuilt
- (News)
- Paderne castle is made of mud and, after more than 800 years, its crumbling tower needs urgent repairs - budgeted at €90,000. On July 29th, 2016 a protocol for the 'Recovery, Restoration and Conservatio ...
- Created on 31 July 2016
- Developments at Paderne and Beja castles
- (News)
- ... h too had structural problems. At Paderne castle in the Algarve, a new programme has been launched to make better use of the historic site which is usually closed to the public, much to visitors' irritati ...
- Created on 18 July 2016
