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Vila Real de Santo António

Situated at the easternmost tip of the Algarve and bordering Spain, Vila Real de Santo António is above all a major center of commerce. But it has much more to discover.

Vila Real de Santo António is a border town (the Spain-Portugal border, is known by the epithet of The Ray), drawing the line that divides the territories of Portugal and Spain. It is one of the oldest borders in Europe, where some of the tracings date back to the XIII century, being also the geographical space, on either side of the political border, where the populations share historical, linguistic, cultural and economic elements.

Initially called Santo António de Arenilha, Vila Real de Santo António was conquered from the Moors in 1242, being elevated to county seat in 1283. Traditionally a medieval fishing village, it was intended to defend the entrance of the Guadiana River and was the starting point of the Portuguese territory to Spain. In 1774, the Marquis of Pombal erects the city in the manner in which we know it today, imprinting his model in the architecture of the town, characterized by parallel streets and buildings outlined.

This reform aimed to mark the position of Portugal right in front of the Spanish town of Ayamonte, besides making it the center of the real fishing of the Algarve and thus obtain income from this activity. But it is already in the XIX century that this locality gains new life, with the installation of the fish canning and lace industry. Currently it is a center of commerce, being the county seat of one of the few municipalities of Portugal It is divided into a western part, the parish of Vila Nova de Cacela, and an eastern part, where the town and Monte Gordo are located.

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