The history of Carvoeiro

On www.carvoeiro.com I found some very nice and old pictures about Carvoeiro in 1936.

This picturesque fishing village, with a long history of settlement, has grown over the last decades into the main tourist area of the concelho. It has a number of fine beaches protected by clifts.

There are traces of Roman habitation and naval activity in the area. There has also been a long history of pirate and enemy military assaults on the coast, and a number of naval battles here, most notably the battle in 1544 between a squadron of ships under D. Petro da Cunha, and the Turkish corsair, Xarramet.

According to historical sources, the name of the village derives from “Caboiere,” an old name for a hamlet of fishermen from the Islamic-medieval period. For most of its history, fishing was the mainstay of the local economy.

However, from the 1960s onward, tourism gradually became the economic base of the area, with many new hotels, apartment complexes, shops, roads, and a significant improvement in the infrastructure.