Inquérito à Arquitectura Hidromecânica no Vale do Homem: A dinamização do território a partir dos seus moinhos

Abstract

Hydromechanical architecture, a legacy that has practically fallen out of use, may still be relevant for today's territories. In order to understand this relevance of water mills, the dissertation investigates the molinological equipment present along the Homem river and, simultaneously, the valley that makes up this water line, in order to ascertain the relationship between both objects and, starting from this analysis, consider the possibilities of these constructions to integrate and boost the dynamics of that territory. The Homem Valley, located in the old province of Minho, was defined, in a period when agriculture was assumed as the base of the local economy, by two different types of landscape: the lowlands (ribeira), characterized by extensive fertile fields and a widespread population, and the mountain (montanha), where the barren slopes dominated and the settlements were concentrated. However, this territory has undergone major transformations, leaving agro-pastoralism to be the main economic activity and losing the very clear relationship between society and the landscape. Thus, new urbanization processes overlapped, with the Homem Valley currently being found between two extremes: on the one hand, the urban centers that successively become more attractive, on the other, the Peneda- Gerês National Park. The water mills, being integrated into the landscape produced by human action, reveal the different conditions imposed by the valley and its transformations over time. Assuming themselves as essential equipment in the rural period, they fit into the territorial circumstances around them, revealing a typological succession parallel to the progression of the valley, from the lowlands to the mountain, which was adapted to the levels of cereal production in each place. Throughout the transformations given in the territory, many of these mills went into a state of ruin, others adapted to new uses and some continued their purpose of grinding until later, welcoming new instruments. Thus, focusing on these two objects, the dissertation main objective is to provide instruments that can facilitate the idealization of future possibilities for water mills and for the territory where they are inserted.