Lagos
A beautiful city with a rich history
Lagos Beach - João Paulo
Lagos was once the main city of the Algarve, and remains a popular travel destination for many tourists each summer. Historically, Lagos is known for the harbour from which Vasco de Gama embarked on the epic voyage of discovery in 1499. The voyage from Portugal, down along the African coast and round the Cape of Good Hope, eventually led to the discovery of India.
There are records of Lagos dating back to 80 BC when the city was part of the Roman republic and affected by the turmoil of the civil war between Marius and Sulla. Then known as Lacóbriga, the town was besieged by the Roman general Metellus in an attempt to take Lacóbriga for Sulla. Metellus hoped to cut of the supply of water to the town, forcing the inhabitants to surrender. However, the town was saved by Sertorius who arrived in Lacóbriga with two thousand Roman and seven hundred Libyan soldiers, as well as much needed water. Sertoruis then led a successful battle against six thousand soldiers sent by Metellus in another attempt to take the town for Sulla.
Lagos City Walls
António Sacchetti
Lagos is of historical interest for another reason, understandably downplayed by the tourist brochures but of importance none the less. Dom Henriques proposals for the voyages were initially met with hostility by some in the Portuguese government, many believed the voyages to be an expensive waste of time. Henriques needed to show that the voyages could benefit Portugal financially in the short and long term. When the Portuguese explorers returned from the Congo, the furthest into Africa any Europeans had traveled, they brought with them slaves to work in the fields of the Algarve and the Alentejo. The site of the first western slave market was the Praça da República in Lagos.
Whilst the historical slave market may be a well covered stain on the history of Lagos, another controversial part of Portugal´s history is given much greater prominence. In the Gil Eanes Square stands a statue of Dom Sebastião, who in 1568 was crowned the King of Portugal. Dom Sebastião was only 14 years old when he ascended to the throne and by the time he was 16 many in the royal court regarded him as wild and fanatical, obsessed with hunting and little else.
In 1570, the sixteen year old king led over 20,000 Portuguese soldiers, and most of the countries male nobility, in a disastrous attempt to conquer Morocco. Only one hundred men returned, the rest killed or enslaved. With so many of the Portuguese princes killed alongside Sebastião, the royal succession was eventually determined in favour of the Spanish Habsburgs. Not only had Portugal lost its king, it lost its independence and was brought under Spanish rule for almost 60 years.
The Lagos city museum contains a large and diverse collection divided into sections dedicated to Archaeology, Religious Art, Lagos History, Algarve Ethnography, Paintings, Coins, Mineralogy and Marine Ethnogrphy. The museum is located beside the St. António church and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am to 12.30pm and then from 2pm to 5pm. On Sundays the museum is open from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The museum is closed on Mondays.
There is a high quality marina in Lagos harbour, a popular point of departure for tourists travelling through the Mediterranean by yacht. The marina website can be found at www.marlagos.pt
Hotels in Lagos
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