Alvor Lifeguards Interpretive Center

Alvor Lifeguards Interpretive Center

The lifeguard station that accommodates the rowing boat “Alvor” began its activity in 1933, providing assistance and relief to fishing vessels that crossed the Alvor bar for half a century, until in 1983 the structure stopped working for good.

The presence of the lifeboat at the bar constituted an important point of assistance in the entry of vessels or the provision of assistance to shipwrecks that occurred there, work that resulted from a collective effort of the many fishermen who over time constituted its crew: "Today it's you, but tomorrow I might need it!", said the men of the sea.

After the closure of the station, the day in 1983 still remains in the memory of Alvorenses when the Ministry of the Navy wanted to take the already deactivated lifeboat to Lisbon and the population revolted, cutting the rails that took it down to the river, preventing it from being taken.

Yet another initiative by the Municipality of Portimão in terms of heritage recovery, the Alvor Interpretive Lifeguard Center project was supported by the CRESC Algarve 2020 Programme, within the scope of the Action Plan for the Development of Endogenous Resources.

The project includes the recovery of the old station of the Instituto de Socorros a Náufragos in Alvor, as well as the lifeboat “Alvor” and its museological adaptation to the interpretation and transmission of the history of its activity and memory in the maritime and local fishing context.