Silves Castle visit - Report

On the 30th of March we attended a trip to Silves, visiting one of the most popular touristic
attractions in Algarve, Castelo de Silves. The visit was made more interesting thanks to one of
the employees, who provided us with a guided tour of the Castle. This way we got the
opportunity to admire the charm of the hundreds-year-old fortification with its beautiful view,
a courtesy of the Castle´s strategic position on the top of a hill, while being introduced to its
history. We also learnt some interesting details, concerning the architecture, such as the
function of two barbican towers, overlapping the main walls, which were used to protect the
walls from the outside. The Castle holds evidence of many generations of inhabitants of
different cultures and religions throughout centuries. Some of the walls and the towers have
been rebuilt to suit the architectonical features of different periods. The remainings of the
houses inside the forts used to open to the city, until they were covered by massive defensive
walls. The whole monument was built and reconstructed using mostly sandstone.

The city of Silves has been through difficult times before the first conquest of Christians, its
inhabitants suffering from lack of food and water. This led to the construction of a new utility
feature inside the Castle, a cistern to capture water. Nowadays the underground space is
rebuilt and turned into a small gallery, portraying a life cycle and some interesting
information about one of the typical wild animals of the region, the Iberian Lynx.

Inside the walls there used to be more houses, but the area is currently transformed into
gardens, making it a peaceful and enjoyable place for the visitors. The garden is currently also
used as the 1st International Figurative Stone Sculpture Symposium. However, the efforts to
make the attraction more tourist-friendly have their price. That is, in this case, decrease of
authenticity of the place.

After the tour around the Castle we visited the nearby museum, where the Castle manager
provided us with more information on the management and marketing aspects of the
monument. The Castle of Silves is a national monument, but is also being managed by the
city, the expenses being divided between the government budget and that of the Silves City
Hall, which is also in charge of the Museum and Cathedral management. As we could notice,
the visitors are of different nationalities and age, from student groups, families, to retired
elderly visitors. The manager informed us that most of them are foreigners.

We were also introduced to some interesting statistics, showing that the numbers of visitors
are growing, last year reaching 230 000, with the capacity of the Castle being 50 000 people
per day. As could be expected, the visits are more frequent in the summer during the main
touristic seasons. However, as these tourists come to the region with various interests,
sightseeing being only one of them, the visits are usually shorter. The tourists coming during
winter, on the other hand, are usually interested in learning more detailed information about
the monument and its history, so even though they are fewer, they usually stay in the city for
longer periods of time.

In order to accommodate to the various groups of visitors and their individual needs, there are
possibilities for them to visit the Castle on their own or also schedule a guided tour provided
by Educational Service of Museum and Castle, the option mostly used by student groups.
These guided visits can include, apart from the information provided, also workshops or small
theatres to illustrate the life and the history of the monument and its previous inhabitants and
rulers.

Moreover, in efforts to attract more visitors, the Castle management organises several events,
including the popular Mediaval Fair, which had 100 000 visitors last year. Other events
include some privately organised events and sunset parties during summer. The Castle also
becomes more visitor-friendly by providing support services, e.g. catering service in the Café
inside the walls, the gallery, benches in the garden that are a nice place to relax and enjoy the
atmosphere or souvenir shop at the entrance to the Castle.

The Castle is being promoted especially online, on the website of Silves. Also, there are
promotional materials being sent to the partners and schools via e-mail. More informational
materials are provided in the Castle upon arrival.

The increasing number of visitors is desired, but also has some negative impacts. These
include, apart from the need to accommodate to visitors´ needs and renovate the place, which
causes the loss of authenticity mentioned above, also consequences of recklessness of some
visitors who walk in forbidden areas, causing the destruction of some more fragile walls that
thus need to be reconstructed.

In case the visitors have some suggestions or recommendations, the Castle has its official
Requests and Complaints book with a special form for suggestions. The manager mentioned
that they receive very few negative comments, most of them concerning the missing
orientation signs and information in English. This is one problem the management tries to
deal with, but currently cannot afford to do so for financial reasons. Even despite this little
drawback, the Castle of Silves is undoubtedly one of the must-see places in the region of
Algarve.

Eva Galková, 56052