Description of the attraction
Albufeira is located in the central part of the Algarve region and attracts thousands of tourists every year for its unique mild Mediterranean climate, amazing rocky landscapes and beaches that are marked with the Blue Flag, as well as historical monuments, among which I would like to note the Albufeira Castle.
The city was known even during the reign of the Romans, but then it had a different name - Baltum. After the Moors entered the city in the 8th century, it was renamed Al-Bukhera, which means “castle on the sea”. During the time of the Moors, the city was an important trading port due to its proximity to the ocean. In the middle of the XIII century, the city was liberated by the knights of the Order of Santiago, led by King Afonso III, but the name remained the same, Albufeira.
Like many other cities in the Algarve region, Albufeira has the ruins of an ancient fortress. The hill fort was built by the Moors on the site of a small fortified structure erected by the Romans around the 8th century and protected the city from enemy attacks. The castle was surrounded by walls in the form of a quadrangle, at the corner of each wall was a tower. Access to the city was opened through three gates: Porta do Praça (from the west), Porta do Mar (from the north) and Porta de Sant'Ana. Not far from Porta de Sant'Anna stood the chapel of St. Anne.
Unfortunately, an earthquake in 1755 destroyed the castle, the chapel and most of the walls. At the same time, more than 200 people died trying to hide in the church, the roof of which collapsed. After the earthquake, only the Clock Tower remained from the fortress.
