Portimão History
It races its origins back to a small trading port of the Phoenicians, Greeksand Carthaginians.
Some historians have indicated that the place was originally the famous Portus Hannibalis named by the famous Carthaginian General, Hannibal Barca. During the following Moorish occupation they renamed the place “Burj Munt”. Located at the mouth of the River Arade it provides a natural harbour and has at times been known in its past as a home for smugglers and pirates. The river also provides the sea access to the up-river ancient City of Silves that was the capital of the Algarve during the Moorish occupation. At this time the place was named Porcimunt but later in 1504 it was recognized as a proper town and granted the name “Vila Nova de Portimão” and became part of the property possessions of the Castelo Branco family until the 17th Century. Much later it was commonly renamed as Portimão and was extensively developed in the 19th century to become one of the most important centres on the Algarve of the fishing and canning industry until the early 1980s when the drop in fish stocks and recession drove the remaining factories out of business.