Rota dos moinhos do rio Balsemão - Proposta de salvaguarda e reabilitação de um sistema territorial

Abstract

Vernacular heritage should be considered as a system characterized by the dialogue established between the physical and cultural environment. Recognizing this inseparable relation, this thesis intends to safeguard, characterize and rehabilitate a patrimonial system, poorly documented and in an advanced state of degradation, risking its loss. Thereby, this research is based on the study of the milling heritage of Magueija, questioning the role the mills in Balsemão river, supported by its memory, may have in the reconstruction of the territory and its adaptation to new uses. Starting with the understanding of the concepts Heritage, Landscape and Tourism, and the study on the molinological typologies, it's proposed the inventory and study of the milling units, as well as the creation of a Balsemão river Mills' Route, for the purpose of its dissemination, safeguarding and preservation, as an identity, cultural and tourist support. This way it´s a challenge to consider a strategy based on a critical reading which defends this heritage as a system, capable of understanding the place whose principal is the dialectical relation between the new and the old, preserving its memory and local identity. Finally, an intervention proposal takes place on Moinho da Ponte, which proposes itself as a pilot project with an interpretive program, able to serve as a starting point to the safeguard of this territorial system, opening new possibilities to contemporary use and fruition.