This ancient stone construction, located in the North Region of Portugal, was used as a funeral chamber around 4000 years ago.
It is locally known as "Dólmen da Barrosa" and it's the most well preserved megalithic monument found in the area and, incomprehensibly, it has never been advertised as a tourist landmark. Certainly, a huge missed opportunity by the Portuguese State.
As you can see, it hardly suffered the passage of time. Its condition is not that different from when it was originally built, around 2000 BC, in the Neolithic Period. All the stones are in perfect shape and remain in position, even after all this time.
This Dolmen was classified as a National Monument in 1910, right after the 5 October Portuguese Revolution (in which the Old Monarchic System was replaced by the more modern Republic System, where leaders are elected by the population, rather than inheriting power through family ties.)
The structure was found underground in 1879 by Francisco Martins de G. M. Sarmento, an archaeologist who lived between 1833 and 1899. He was also the one who led the first excavation team.
It is believed that the main function of this Dolmen was to bury the most important chiefs of the clan.
Enough of History, for now... let's light up this post with a photo bomb.
As you see, this is a perfect place for photos. There's a natural window which serves as a perfect frame.
Here are a couple of my friends looking through this ancient window.
This neolithic funeral tomb is located on an area with only a few couple of houses, which you can glimpse on the left, on the photo below.
From the sides, the structure is completely closed and protected from eroding elements such as the rain and the wind.
Here's a view from the opposite side. I can't imagine the trouble these ancient people went through to find and move these huge granite blocks.
Once again, you can see the houses of the lucky people who live in such a beautiful and quiet place.
Nowadays, the Dolmen is surrounded by nothing but trees but this hasn't always been the case.
Here is a shot of the only houses erected nearby this old historical structure. Gladly, they are quite cute and not horrible skyscrapers.
For over 20 years, there was a political bickering between the people, the city hall and the private owners of the land.
- The People wished for the site to be preserved;
- The City Hall was divided between building 3 ugly apartment buildings and keeping the area free of construction;
- The Private Owners wanted to make money and decided that building apartments and leisure zones was the best for their pockets.
Believe it or not, for a few years, a very ugly and artificial skate park was built, right where this green lawn now stands.
Eventually, the City Hall decided to pay off a considerable amount to the private owners, so that they would abandon their stupid capitalist ideas. The Skate Park was removed and the plan to build apartments was thrown into the trashbin.
Now the site is visited by only a few people who know about it... but there are plans to make it a lot more visible and to turn it into a tourist attraction until 2020.
If you ever found yourself roaming in the neighbourhood, don't hesitate to pay it a visit. And bring a swimsuit, because the beach is only 20 minutes away, on foot.
| Camera | Panasonic Lumix DC-TZ90 |
| Location | Vila Praia de Âncora, Caminha - Portugal |
| Photos | 14 (Untouched) |
