Open weekdays and free to visit
The old fish auction hall of Sagres, a small town in the western Algarve beloved by surfers, reopened on Wednesday (November 27) as an interpretation centre.
Open on weekdays from 10am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm, the ‘Centro de Interpretação da Lota de Sagres’ (Sagres Fish Auction Hall Interpretation Centre) features a permanent exhibition about the history of the sale of fish at Baleeira port. The exhibition shines the spotlight on local fishermen and their daily activities, as well as “environmental themes linked to the sea, the biodiversity of Sagres’ coast, and the sustainability of oceans” and local marine life.
The new interpretation centre is also hosting a temporary exhibition, ‘Aves do Sudoeste’ (Birds of the Southwest), of 29 photographs by Diniz Cortes, showing some of the bird species that can be found in Sagres – famous for hosting its hugely popular birdwatching festival.
The building, granted to the municipality by fishing authority Docapesca under a protocol signed on July 13, 2021, had been used in the past few years by the municipal council of Vila do Bispo to host various initiatives at this site, focusing on the region’s biodiversity and promoting sustainability.
With its prime location overlooking the scenic Baleeira Cove, flanked by the Martinhal islets and the vast Atlantic Ocean, the building has been given a new lease on life after acting as the town’s fish auction hall from 1973 to 2001.
Admission to the interpretation centre is free.
