Portimão encourages sharing memories of the Fortaleza Garden

As part of the ongoing renovation work on the Santa Catarina Fortress Garden, Portimão City Council is promoting a participatory image gallery, entitled "Postcards from our memories", which will be created on one of the panels installed on the construction site's hoardings, composed of photographs and memories shared by those who know and feel this garden is part of their own history.

The initiative is inspired by a tradition rooted in the collective memory of Portimão, since, especially in the 1960s, 1970s and even later decades, it was common for families to choose the Jardim da Fortaleza as a natural setting for family photographs, in different seasons of the year and on festive occasions.

More than just a green space, this garden was a place of encounters, affection and sharing, forming part of the lives of successive generations of Portimão residents and also of many of those who, year after year, visit the city.

The images received will be printed as postcards and integrated into this panel, becoming part of a collective tribute to a garden that has marked — and continues to mark — the emotional identity of several generations of Portimão residents.

This dynamic is part of a proximity communication approach, which aims to keep the population informed about the ongoing intervention and, at the same time, value the community's strong emotional connection to Jardim da Fortaleza.

In addition to the participatory mural, the construction site's hoardings also include information panels about the garden's redevelopment and enhancement project, highlighting the main planned improvements and illustrative and evocative images of a collective heritage.

Interested parties can send their photographs via private message on the municipality's social media channels ( Facebook or Instagram ), indicating, if desired, their name, the year of the photo, and a brief caption. Selected images will be included on the mural visible at the construction site.

With this action, the municipality of Portimão "intends to preserve the memories lived in this emblematic space of Praia da Rocha, promoting active participation of the population in the construction of this living tribute to a space that is, and always has been, for everyone", says the municipality.