Once capital of the old province of the Algarve, Lagos (altitude: sea level) lies on the west side of a bay of the Rio Alvor, here fully 2km/1.25mi wide, which is sheltered on the east by the Ponta dos Três Irmaos and on the west by the Ponta da Piedade and the broad estuary of Ribeira de Bensafrim. The excellent beaches nearby have led to a
great deal of recent hotel development around the town, together with apartment buildings and camp sites. Restaurants and cafes abound in the town, but the people of Lagos continue to make part of their living from fishing (tuna, sardines). An ultra modern yacht marina near the fishing harbor came into operation in 1995.
History
"Lacóbriga" to the Romans, Lagos became "Zawaya" under the Moors, who built the walls that originally fortified the town. These eventually succumbed to the Portuguese kings and Sancho II was able to take the town in the mid 13th C. In the centuries that followed it developed into an important ship building town and port, thanks partly to Henry the Navigator. It was also from here that Gil Eanes, who was born in Lagos, set sail in 1434 to become the first seafarer to round Cape Bojador in West Africa. The voyages of discovery brought Lagos fame and fortune. Trade flourished, and the slave trade with it the first slaves from Africa were auctioned in 1443 in a building on the present Praça da República. Lagos became the capital of the historical province of Algarve in 1577 and remained so until 1756, the year following the destruction of much of the town by an earthquake. Its subsequent decline in importance was only halted in the late 20th C. when tourism has brought new prosperity.
Townscape
The outer districts of Lagos, with their tower blocks and large apartment buildings, are really rather ugly. The town center is much more attractive. Although it has developed into a typical tourist center it still has the feel of a pleasant compact town which has retained its own character. Parts of the old town are still surrounded by the medieval wall. A small area in the center around the Praça Gil Eanes and the Praça da República is now a pedestrian precinct. There are many small shops and a plethora of restaurants and cafs with tables outside.
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