Alcoutim

Alcoutim is a municipality located in the northeast corner of the Algarve, by the Guadiana River, surrounded by mountains covered with rockroses, olive and almond trees which bloom in winter, and where the white houses with the typical Algarve chimneys distinguish themselves in the midst of the landscape.

This human occupation, strongly motivated by mining, continued its existence with the Visigoths and the Arabs until the late 30s of the 13th century, years when Alcoutim was reconquered by the Christians, having received the town charter in 1304 during the reign of King D. Dinis.

Given its strategic position, the importance of the town was recognized by the Portuguese Crown, which in addition to building its defensive structures donated Alcoutim to the Military Order of Santiago. After the Restoration wars Alcoutim lost its strategic importance. This fact coincided with the decline of the mining activity that, together with the relative poverty of the agricultural land of the municipality, led to economic stagnation, which changed gradually in recent decades.