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Sao Domingos Mine, Mina de São Domingos
The Sao Domingos mine, the settlement, is a town generated out of nothing in 1854, the date on which the metallic poly-sulphuret deposit, which had already been exploited in Roman times, and throughout the 1st millennium CE, was rediscovered by an Italian from Piemonte called Nicolau Biava, an employee of the Alonso Mine (Huelva, Spain.) When the 19th century miners discovered the ancient remains (drains, wells and galleries, ruins of offices, objects of general use and mining equipment) the only signs of modern construction recorded were a chapel dedicated to Sao Domingos, built next to the iron deposit which crowned the pyritical deposit, and the Curral do Concelho, strategically placed near the Pego da Sarna, the point on the water line with same name where a sulphurous water spring arrived (stemming from the natural lixiviation of the minerals there), whose chemical properties made it good for resolving dermatological problems. The mining exploitation concession was granted by the Spanish company, held by French capital, La Sabina to the English company Mason & Barry, and marked the beginning of a great age in the Serra de Sao Domingos activity and the complete transformation of the landscape. In addition to the work to clear the Roman galleries and to open new wells and galleries, lodging was built to house the miners and their families, as well as a series of social buildings (hospital, theatre, pharmacy, recreational club, storage facilities, catholic church, Protestant cemetery for the British community, administration building) and industries: workshops, carpentry, laboratory, energy power plant, mine bottom-water extraction system, founding and sintering ovens, and absolutely decisive for the success of the venture, the railway tracks between the Sao Domingos Mine and Pomarao and the fluvial port installed there, on the banks of the Guadiana and Chança rivers. During the first years of exploration, Mason & Barry dedicated all of their efforts to the underground extraction, but around 1866, the drop in the value of copper obligated the administration to reconsider the implemented strategy and in the following year open pit mining was begun. As the open pit increased, almost all of the old village was destroyed and it was rebuilt in the location where it is found today. Over the years, new roads and social services were added to the urban zone, the most recent roads from the middle of the 19th century (Rua do Bispo and Ria de Dra. Violeta).
CHARACTERISTICS
LOCATION
Address: Rua de Santa Isabel nº 30/31
City: Mina de São Domingos
Postal Code: 7750 - 146
Telephone: 286647534
Email: fserraomartins@gmail.com
Website: http://fundacaoserraomartins.pt/
City: Mina de São Domingos
Postal Code: 7750 - 146
Telephone: 286647534
Email: fserraomartins@gmail.com
Website: http://fundacaoserraomartins.pt/
FUNCTIONING
Public venue, with no timetable or entrance fee.
ORGANISATION OF THE VISIT
The visit to this Point does not require prior booking and can be done individually.
Specific Conditions:
In the event of an individual or group of smaller size want to make the visit, the price charged will be equivalent to that paid by a group with 6 persons.
Method:
On foot
Difficulty Level:
Average
Group Visits:
Yes
Minimum Number of Person per group:
6
Maximum Number of Person per group:
25
Observations:
Exceptionally, visits may be made with a greater number of participants.
Guided Tours:
Yes
Observations:
Old Mining Complex - Guided tours of the Mina de S. Domingos and former industrial complex A urban circuit in the village of Mina de S. Domingos and a route that evokes the ore cycle in times of great Mine laboring. An open air museum that marks the experiences and the various stages of harvesting and processing the ore.
Specific Conditions:
In the event of an individual or group of smaller size want to make the visit, the price charged will be equivalent to that paid by a group with 6 persons.
Method:
On foot
Difficulty Level:
Average
Group Visits:
Yes
Minimum Number of Person per group:
6
Maximum Number of Person per group:
25
Observations:
Exceptionally, visits may be made with a greater number of participants.
Guided Tours:
Yes
Observations:
Old Mining Complex - Guided tours of the Mina de S. Domingos and former industrial complex A urban circuit in the village of Mina de S. Domingos and a route that evokes the ore cycle in times of great Mine laboring. An open air museum that marks the experiences and the various stages of harvesting and processing the ore.
EXISTING EQUIPMENT
Exterior mining facilities
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
TRANSPORT
Type of Transport:
T. Rodoviário
Agency Name:
Rodoviária do Alentejo
Telephone Number:
284313620
Type of Transport:
Táxi
Agency Name:
Geral Táxis
Telephone Number:
286611117
Parking for private vehicles:
Yes
T. Rodoviário
Agency Name:
Rodoviária do Alentejo
Telephone Number:
284313620
Type of Transport:
Táxi
Agency Name:
Geral Táxis
Telephone Number:
286611117
Parking for private vehicles:
Yes
SITES OF TOURISTIC INTEREST
ASSOCIATED ROUTES
Iberian Pyrite Belt Route
The Pyrite Route is a thematic route of mining and geological tourism dedicated to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, considered one of the main mining regions of Europe, with more than 90 known massive sulphide deposits, distributed throughout the regions of Alentejo and Andalusia. In addition to the pyrite mines occur in the province hundreds of manganese deposits and veins of copper, lead, barium and antimony.
The Pyrite Route is a thematic route of mining and geological tourism dedicated to the Iberian Pyrite Belt, considered one of the main mining regions of Europe, with more than 90 known massive sulphide deposits, distributed throughout the regions of Alentejo and Andalusia. In addition to the pyrite mines occur in the province hundreds of manganese deposits and veins of copper, lead, barium and antimony.
SUGGESTIONS OF THE ROUTE- OTHER NEARBY PLACES TO VISIT