Tidal Mill Moinho do Maré / Quinta de Marim

In other times, when energy sources were scarce and limited only to muscle power, wind and current, tidal mills had a major advantage over other forms of energy: their constancy and predictability. There are two daily tides that guarantee approximately 4 hours of grinding. They were built in estuaries on low land and in sheltered areas where the water could be dammed. The first known tidal mill appeared in the 17th century in southern France. Through the ages expanded throughout Europe.

Tidal mills are structures that take advantage of the difference in water levels between high- and low tides and were used to grind grains, namely corn and wheat, and convert them into flour. These are inventions of medieval technology, which testify to man's desire to use new forms of energy to his advantage: tidal energy.

There were about three dozen tidal mills in the Ria Formosa. Currently there is only one operating in the Algarve, the Quinta de Marim tidal mill, in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, owned by the Institute for Nature Conservation.

@Jose Costa