Fabrica do Ingles: Unraveling the Cork’s Mysteries
Coming to the Algarve region, you have come to one of the best tourist sites in Portugal. What will unfold before you are the endless undulating hills and lovely beaches, and you will be in close touch with welcoming local people and their colorful cultural heritages. If you are planning a tour in the region, one of the “must-visits” is Fabrica do Ingles in Algarve’s town of Silves.
Situated in the cozy town of Silves, it is a leisure center whose major component is a cork museum. The fertile valleys provide an ideal growing environment for cork trees, and back in the 19th and 20th centuries the town was one of the main cork producers in Portugal. Later, the factory was transformed into a leisure center and was opened to the public in 1999.
What sets the cork museum apart from the others is its unique way of presenting the history of local cork industry. Visitors are shown with vivid illustrations the lives of real workers who had once worked in the cork factory. You get to know the details of cork manufacturing, e.g. the blacksmith’s forge, the machinery, etc., instead of a vague idea of the factory’s glorious past. In 2001 the museum was bestowed the title of “the best European industrial museum”, a rare and distinguished honor.
Apart from the cork museum, the leisure center in Fabrica do Ingles (in English, the Englishman factory), offers a wide range of dining and recreation services. In the square you will find a great many restaurants, bars, tea houses, cafes, refreshment outlets where you can have a try at local cuisine. Or if you care for some light entertainments, you can go attend the locally famous laser show, a theater or dance performance, or a concert, etc. If you come at the right season, you will get a chance to experience the famously boisterous Portuguese beer festival.
To conclude your tour, do not forget to buy some souvenirs in Fabrica do Ingles Algarve region. Come to any of the local boutiques or souvenir shops and you will find a good many interesting trinkets and novelties are made from cork and other local materials.
