Teixeira Gomes Offers a Journey Through Portimão’s History from Village to City
Starting at 6:00 PM on Friday, July 26, the Grupo de Amigos do Museu de Portimão, in collaboration with the Junta de Freguesia de Portimão, the Museum, and the Municipality of Portimão, will join the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Portimão’s elevation to city status by presenting an exhibition at Praça Manuel Teixeira Gomes. This exhibition traces the historical evolution of Portimão from the old Vila Nova of a century ago.
This is the eighth edition of a street exhibition project titled “Passear pela História” (Strolling Through History), which began in 2017. It invites visitors to discover some of the most significant events and changes that have occurred over the years.
“Passear pela História” aims to strengthen the identity of the Portimão community by highlighting the city and municipality as a cultural destination for work and leisure. It offers residents and tourists an informal and relaxed journey through time, exploring various moments in the unique history of Portimão, which was elevated to city status in 1924 by the distinguished Portimão native and President of the Republic, Manuel Teixeira Gomes.
The exhibition’s panels showcase images of these transformations, illustrating the early days of a vibrant maritime, industrial, rural, commercial, and tourist life, as well as aspects of the urban and social landscape that have shaped the municipality.
In addition to Teixeira Gomes, the exhibition also highlights the figure of Visconde Bivar, one of the most notable local personalities. He was a strong advocate for the progress of Vila Nova de Portimão, particularly in solving major accessibility and communication issues, such as the essential road bridge over the Arade River, the continuation of the railway line between Beja and the Algarve, and the reclamation of the riverside quay.
From the then Vila Nova de Portimão, the exhibition recalls the arrival of industry to the rural and maritime world, the saltworks and stevedoring, the various markets, the era of the vans, the much-desired railway bridge, the first steps in hospitality, and the significant moment of regional affirmation for the Algarve in 1915 through the 1st Regional Congress of the Algarve at the Praia da Rocha Casino.
This exhibition is promoted by the Grupo de Amigos do Museu de Portimão, in close collaboration with the Junta de Freguesia de Portimão, the Museum, and the Municipality of Portimão, and will be open until September 15.
