On 22 May, the Club took a trip to Leiria, which began with a visit to the Castle.
The Castle of Leiria, which was almost abandoned after the French invasions, is currently classified as a National Monument, and its current condition has benefited from the restoration work carried out by Ernesto Korrodi, which was completed in 2021. It is the city’s monument par excellence and is also a venue for cultural events. Within its imposing walls are traces of the various phases of occupation, from the military fortress to the royal palace built at the end of the 15th century by King João I. King Dinis had the keep erected and was probably the monarch who spent the most time in Leiria, together with his wife, Queen Santa Isabel.
This was followed by a visit to MIMO (Museum of Image and Movement), which was created in 1996 as part of the celebrations for the centenary of Portuguese cinema. It is a space that pays homage to photography and cinema, bringing together art, science and technique. Its collections of objects show the evolution of cinematography.
Lunch took place at the ‘O Casarão’ restaurant, after which we visited the Paper Mill.
Dating back to 1411, the Paper Mill stands out for being the first industrial paper mill and one of the first to appear on the Iberian Peninsula. It is a museum space, with the aim of preserving the memory of traditional arts and crafts, namely the milling of cereals, the manufacture of olive oil and the production of paper.
The papermaking process:
Some of the tools used in milling and making olive oil:
The mill:
Landscape of the river by the mill:
After visiting the Paper Mill and the Leiria Museum, we took a stroll through the historic centre to Rodrigues Lobo Square.
