Water related heritage. The use of water for production of final or semi-final products in the parish of Cernache do Bonjardim, Central Portugal

¹ University of Algarve, Campus da Penha, 8000-000 Faro, Portugal; CEAACP-UAlg
² University of Seville, Avda. Reina Mercedes, Seville, Spain
³ Independent Researcher. Trav. Henrique Bernardo Ramos, Faro, Portugal

^* Corresponding author: mgoncal@ualg.pt

Abstract

The use of water as a driving force for the production of goods is very old. Over time, techniques and constructions were developed to make the most of water energy. There are elements that use water energy to obtain final or semi-final products, such as horticultural, touristic and thermal products. In the parish of Cernache do Bonjardim, Central Portugal, there are several types of this kind of elements, such as dams and hotels related to agricultural production and tourism. The main objectives of this article are to characterize and analyze the current situation of this heritage and its dissemination, enhancement and subsequent protection. The methods used were based on bibliographic, photographic, cartographic and in situ surveys. The approach comprises the survey of the elements mentioned above, subsequent cataloguing and analysis regarding their objectives and their geographic distribution. With this analysis it is possible to group the elements into categories that facilitate their characterization. Up to the preparation of this article, no document or record was found about the described elements in the studied area, which is a major limitation of the investigation. The originality of this work is that this type of heritage has not yet been approached in the territory under study. The article contributes to another study about this parish. Being a vernacular heritage and already with few existing elements, it is intended to give to it the value it deserves and that it is appreciated as a collective memory of the territory where it is inserted.