NOTABLE PAULEIROS

Dr. João Maurício Abreu dos Santos (17 September 1905 - 11 May 1969), medical doctor/practitioner; he completed his medical course at the University of Coimbra in 1935, and provided local health care and treatment to the Paulense residents, at a time where he was courted by many in the city of Funchal. He was memorialized for his local contribution to the local community with a statue in his honour in Serrado da Cruz.

Dr. João Maurício Batista Abreu dos Santos (9 April 1947 – 25 July 2002), medical doctor/surgeon; son of Dr. João Maurício Abreu dos Santos, he also followed his father into medicine, and likewise earned respect regionally for his contributions to the local population. His practice provided weekly consultation to the population, in addition to the communities in Calheta, including specifically Prazeres

António Coito, merchant; proprietor of one of the largest stores in Paul do Mar, who was also a dedicated musician, master of the Banda Municipal Paulense for many years and member of Paul do Mar choral;

João Correiro - an influential businessman, who had a store, responsible for mail delivery and a boat that made regularly shipments of people and goods to Funchal;

Vasco da Gama Rodrigues (27 January 1909 – 3 May 1991), poet; studied at the Funchal lyceum, until moving to Mozambique, before returning to Portugal, where he worked for the public administration, as tourist inspector at the age of 25, at the same time authoring several works of poetry, including: Os Atlantes (1961), As Três Taças(1972) and O Cristo das Nações (1995).

ECONOMY

The main activity in Paul do Mar and its area is fishing 

and agriculture, particularly the cultivation of banana 

and tourism including eco-tourism activities such as dolphin and whalewatching. There are many festas in the village throughout the year particularly in the summer months including the festa celebrating the Patron Saint of the village Santo Amaro from 14–15 January and The Festa da Lapa (the festival of the shellfish/limpets) which lasts from a Friday to a Sunday night in the month of July.

Paul do Mar has significant commercial businesses for a village, including shops, a small supermarket, bars, cafes, restaurants, a patisserie/bakery, a main primary school, Catholic church, a health centre, a bank, a football ground, a four-star hotel, and a number of self-catering holiday houses and apartments.

Forte de Santo António do Paul do Mar (English: Fort of Sanit Anthony) - Constructed in 1754, a provision of the 1761 Counsel of War (Portuguese: Conselho de Guerra), that also raised the annual income of the King's representative by including a barrel of wine.

IGREJA

 

Igreja is the most elevated part of the parish, and the smallest, it is primarily important for being the locationof the parochial church and cemetery, which substituted the older chapel that was destroyed to make wayfor the new building. This event created some consternation in the community, which regarded the older church with pride. It had a large collection of imagery that was routinely exchanged with other parishes. Among other noteworthy buildings are the vestiges of the historical salting industry (mainly the chimneys from the factory) and an older fountain (built in 1889);

RIBEIRA DAS GALINHAS

Ribeira das Galinhas is the name of most westerly part of the parish is derived from the ravine where many chickens were penned by local farmers who lived in the area. The area has the lowest populational density in the parish reflecting its use as agricultural land for planting/cultivation of bananas. It is linked to Fajã da Ovelha by a winding roadway that scales the western cliffs, referred to as the Caminho das 25 Voltas (English: road of the 25 turns), that at one time began at a partly ruined bridge. Historically, this area was also the transit point for goods that were transferred from the cliff-tops to the seaside community.

Sport is popular, and football clubs include the Paulense (representing the locality of Ribeira das Galinhas, Serrado da Cruz and Lagoa) and the Santo Amaro club (which represented the localities of Igreja and Quebrada).

SERRADO DA CRUZ

 

Serrado da Cruz is a densely concentrated area of residential buildings along the main roadway, as well as being an area (along with Ribeira das Galinhas) noted for the cultivation of bananas. Historically, the area of Cruz was the site of the upper level primary school, which taught grades five to six (at times from fourth grade), but was abandoned due to lack of funding (as was the older seat of the Banda Municipal Paulense, the local philharmonic band). Similarly, a statue in memorial to Dr. João Maurício Abreudos Santos (who was a local personality), erected by dos amigos Pauleiros  (English: from Paulense friends), and a local ceramic/ handicraft business Cerâmica Artesanal are also important sites in this area.

LAGOA

 

Lagoa receives its name from the fact that the area is fairly flat and suspectible to ocean swells, the area of Lagoa was regularly flooded by ocean waves during winter storms until the new sea coastal defence system was built. The largest of the localities within Paul do Mar is Espanha. It is located in the centre of the parish, occupying an important centre of activities, including the locations of the health centre and main primary school, in addition to the municipal football field.

QUEBRADA - the Eastern section of Paul do Mar

 

        Quebrada is the most easterly portion of the parish, the toponymic name originates from a landslide long ago. Another area is the harbour (Porto) which remains an important part of the region's fishing industry (a Lota - fish registration centre, slipway and located in this area). Also, the Caminho Real that links Paul do Mar with Prazeres starts at the harbour and was once the parish's few land accesses to the rest of the island. Quebrada is the location of the parish seat, the Junta de Freguesia;

ROADS TO PAUL DO MAR

 

Paul do Mar is accessible by two roads: one connecting the parish with Porto Moniz, Santana, Calheta and Funchal to the east, and another which connects the village to Faja da Ovelha and Jardim do Mar, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is located about 3 km from the urbanized area of Calheta and about 1 km from Fajã da Ovelha. Calheta has an important art centre (Casa das Mudas) and many of the typical facilities that you would expect in a small village. The historic municipal pedestrian way Caminho Real connects Paúl do Mar with Prazeres. During low tide and when the sea is not too rough, it is possible to walk along the rocky beach to Jardim do Mar.

PATRON SAINT of PAUL DO MAR

Saint Amaro or Amarus the Pilgrim was an abbot who it was claimed sailed across the ocean in search of Paradise. There are two historical figures who may have provided the basis for his story. 

The first was a French penitent of the same name who went on a pilgrimage to Santiago da Compostella in the thirteenth century. On his return journey, he established himself at Burgos where he founded a hospital for lepers.

Saint Amaro has also been identified with Sait Marius, disciple of Saint Benedict, who founded the first Benedict Monastery in France.

 

PAúL DO MAR

 

  

Paul do Mar is a civil parish in the municipality of Calheta with a population in 2011 was 871 in an area of 1.40 km2. 

The origin of the toponymy paúl do mar is linked to its geographic position, since paúl refers to an elongated zone, which is justified by the parish's location along the southwest coast of Madeira. 

Its exposure to the ocean, and historical periods when the sea bathed the area with seawater, once characterised the area as the Sitio da Lagoa or Alagoa (English: site of the lake or the lake). Historically, the area experienced flooding from the sea when the Atlantic submerged and inundated fields to a depth of one metre. As a result, a salt factory was established. But, this was closed long ago. Since the construction of a new higher sea wall and ocean front with road and parking the sea flooding has stopped. 

DIVING

 

Many of the larger hotels can arrange scuba diving, usually in the protected waters around Garajau and Caniço de Baixo, or off Machico in the Eastern region of Madeira. To hire equipment, you will need to show a diving certificate, logbook and sometimes a medical certificate. Basic equipment hire starts at around e25 per day. Most places also arrange four- to five-day internationally recognized PADI diving courses for beginners, for around e350–450. Once in the sea, you can swim face to face with moray eels, conger eels, squid, octopus, monkfish, tuna, parrot fish, mantas and Atlantic rays.

WALKING

 Some of the best walks on the island are detailed in this guide. These were accurate when the book went to press,but conditions change – landslides during the winter months can wipe out sections of path, as can road-building – so check that the walk is still manageable with the local tourist office or your hotel before you set off.

The best walking months are usually July, August and early September, when rain is unlikely and skies are generally clear – and high up, at least, it is not too hot. June is the month most likely to have cloud covering the coasts, while the rainier months can make levada paths slippery. At other times, clouds often form over the mountains in the afternoons, so an early start is the best option.

 

Levadas

The most famous walking trails on Madeira are the levadas – irrigation canals constructed to channel water from the mountains to lower-lying agricultural land. Some of the levadas have been hacked into the side of sheersided slopes, and they often run through tunnels. Initially the work was done by slaves imported from Portugal’s former colonies in Africa; nowadays high-tech machinery does the job. They have been constructed with an astonishing degree of engineering accuracy, along carefully plotted gradients so that the water flows gently down to where it is needed. Water flow is carefully regulated by a system of sluices operated by the levadeiros – men whose job it is to ensure that different farmers get an equal amount of water to their land and who keep the levadas clean and flowing.

As well as bringing water to farmers, the canals have proved to be ideal walkways, with a network of over 2000km winding across the island at gentle gradients.

Today levada walking has become big business, with several tour companies offering guided levada walks. Though this has had the inevitable effect of removing the solitude from some of the walks, it has had the advantage of encouraging the local government to improve signposting and to provide dangerous sections of levadas with new fencing.

Surfing and other watersports

While Ribeira Brava, set among verdant banana plantations, is gradually approaching resort status along the unspoilt western coastline, Jardim do Mar and Paúl do Mar have a growing surf culture, while Calheta can boast an artificial sandy beach and a brand-new marina. Inland there are superb walks around the wooded valleys of Rabaçal.

Madeira was discovered as a surfing destination by intrepid Portuguese and Brazilian surfers during the 1990s, and now hosts an annual leg of the World Surfing Championships, usually in January or February in Jardim do Mar. 

A European surfing competition takes place in Paúl do Mar in September, though you need great expertise to participate. Madeira’s deep Atlantic waters supply superb breakers, and the main attraction is the challenge of the big riders – three metre- high waves which crash onto the basalt rock of the sea bed; extreme care and skill is required. 

As yet, there is no surfing association and there are no surf shops on Madeira, either, so surfers are advised to take their own board repair kits.

Western Madeira

Tourism has yet to make major inroads into the         dramatic and unspoilt west coast, and only the lively town of Ribeira Brava has anything approaching resort status.

Much of the rocky coastline is backed by steep wooded slopes, vineyards and banana plantations. The coast road links a series of small villages – pretty Ponta do Sol, historic Madalena do Mar and Calheta, a former sugar production centre with an artificial sandy beach.

Further west, below towering cliffs, nestle Jardim doMar, one of Madeira’s most attractive villages and a burgeoning surf centre; and Paúl do Mar, another surfers’ hangout. 

Above here, the wooded valleys around the village of Prazeres offer some superb walking country while, inland, Rabaçal is perhaps the most beautiful valley on the island and a base for more wonderful levada walks. Rabaçal marks the edge of the wild mountainplateau Paúl da Serra, a great destination for walking or a picnic.

4. The Twenty First Century

In 2000, the airport’s runway was expanded to 2781 meters. It is partially built on slab over the sea, and supported by 180 pillars. This is an international airport, also with domestic flights.

It is also in the first half of this 21^st century that the Port of Funchal was expanded, widening the pier in all its length and extension. At this time the construction of roads connecting the different locations were built, albeit in a rudimentary manner.

Madeira earns its administrative political autonomy in 1976, becoming an Autonomous Region of Portugal thus having the power to legislate. This stems from the 25th April 1974, which marked the beginning of a new era. With the entry of Portugal into the European Union, the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) has benefited from funds that have provided it with a greater reliance on regional development in various sectors. The road network was one of the main targets for improvement with various infrastructures that reduce distances and increase the safety of those who use it.

Madeiran tourism has become increasingly characterized by a high influx of tourists and the consequent emergence of new hotel infrastructures and a new philosophy of action in this area, related to the economic, social and cultural development.
 

3.HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY in the 1800s and 1900s

But during the nineteenth century, two serious epidemics attacked Madeira vines, causing losses. In order to try and hold the international wine market of Madeira, they tried planting more resistant varieties, although of lower quality. The characteristic spaces for manufacturing, aging and storage of wine, which once proliferated, may still be found in some wineries. The memory of objects and contexts related to the wine sector is presented to us in institutions such as the Instituto do Vinho da Madeira, H.M. Borges and the Madeira Wine Company.

However throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Madeira flourished because of the birth of the tourism sector, quickly becoming a mandatory reference for the European aristocracy that set temporary residence here, attracted by the natural therapeutic qualities of the island. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Madeira stands out for its climate and therapeutic effects. As of the second half of the eighteenth century, Madeira becomes a resort of therapeutic ends, using the preventive qualities of its climate to cure tuberculosis.

In the nineteenth century, visitors to the island integrated four major groups: patients, travellers, tourists and scientists. Most visitors belonged to the moneyed aristocracy, with an endless list of aristocrats, princes, princesses and monarchs. Already during the seventeenth century, the increase of sea routes and interest in botany led to the introduction of new plants, which were acclimatized to the Island and enriched the gardens of homes and, in particular, of the estates which arose around the city.

The island’s mild climate, with a somewhat constant temperature all day round, and its weak daylight and annual temperature range, are attractive qualities to advertise Madeira as a recommended and highly sought after island. Madeira’s fame in the therapeutic tourism quickly spread throughout Europe and the island took advantage of the European instability of the time, where liberal wars block the access roads to health resorts of southern Italy and France. The maritime traffic to such areas, with English, German and Russian nationals, ends up being diverted to Madeira which, of course, has a very positive outcome.

Throughout the nineteenth century, Madeira witnessed the socialising of poets, writers, politicians and aristocrats. The island remained, for a long time, as the resting site for these patients. Nowadays, it is considered to be Europe’s first and main cure and convalescence resort. The increasingly assiduous presence of these patients, emphasized the need to create more supporting infrastructures: sanatoriums, lodging and agents who served as intermediaries between these outsiders and owners of such spaces.

Tourism, as we understand it today, was taking its first steps. In Madeira, the main port and city no longer monopolized the attention of travellers: walks and horse rides enabled incursions to the inner part of the island. In the late 1840s the first steps were taken to create a set of supporting infrastructures within the island. However, it is only in 1887 that the first adequate network of inns, outside of Funchal, begin to appear. The presence of these units did not put an end to the traditional hospitality of existing homes and estates in Funchal, further south. As a result of a high demand for the season, there was a need to prepare guides for visitors. The first tourist guide of Madeira appeared in 1850 and focused on elements of history, geology, flora, fauna and customs of the island. Regarding hotel infrastructures, the British and the Germans were the first to launch the Madeiran hotel chain.

In the first half of the twentieth century attention focused on air transport.The opening to the world, via this route starts with the seaplanes, which began operating on 15th May 1949, with equipment of “Aquila Airways”. Subsequently, it is followed by Artop until 1958. During this period, 32,838 passengers disembarked on the island.

In 1960, the airport on the island of Porto Santo opens and the Madeira Archipelago now has a regular air service between the two islands for the first time. Previously, the connection between the two islands was done by boat, with the “Lisbonense” and “Cedros” Ferryboats.

In 1964, Madeira tourism gains greater projection, with the construction of the Santa Catarina Airport, with a 1,600-meters long runway. The new infrastructure allows aircrafts to operate on the island, benefiting from domestic, international and charter flights, managed to transport, at the time, large numbers of tourists.