In this episode of Smart Regions, discover the European project to restore the island of Porto Santo, which is reviving its cultural heritage by rehabilitating its windmills and public fountains. A reconnection with the past for a unique tourist experience.
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00:00 A thousand kilometers south of Lisbon, in the middle of the Atlantic, stands Porto Santo,
00:07 a biosphere reserve. It is the second largest island in the Madeira archipelago. Today,
00:13 a European project is showcasing its windmills and old public fountains, two signs of identity
00:19 with which the Golden Island is strengthening its tourism while preserving and passing on
00:24 its heritage.
00:30 These elements of the traditional architecture were damaged, obsolete and unkept, so there
00:34 was an urgent need to showcase this heritage of our ancestors, not only to the local population
00:40 but also to the tourists who visit us, since tourism is the main economic activity on the
00:45 island.
00:54 Porto Santo was for a time home of Christopher Columbus. For decades, the Portuguese island
00:59 was Madeira's granary, hence its windmills. Most were built in the 19th century. With
01:06 this project, the municipality has also restored more than a dozen public fountains and wash
01:11 basins. Residents and visitors alike are reclaiming this heritage, like these secondary school
01:17 pupils and their teacher.
01:19 "We are at the Fontinha fountain, which dates back to 1844. And it's curious because later
01:26 on medicinal properties were discovered in this spring."
01:38 "Before doing this trip here, I didn't know that there was a shortage of water in Porto
01:41 Santo and that fountains were created to change this. I also didn't know that windmills were
01:47 used to grind cereals or that there was so much activity in Porto Santo."
01:53 The total cost of the project is more than 340,000 euros. The European Union contributed
01:58 85 percent and the municipality of Porto Santo contributed the remaining 15 percent.
02:05 The project involves the restoration of three mills, 14 public fountains and a training
02:09 and exhibition center.
02:12 This is the Ecoteca or Count's house, which is open to all and is currently being refurbished.
02:17 In this transmission of knowledge, we learn that there used to be 30 windmills on the
02:20 island, but very few are still standing.
02:25 Three of the windmills, out of use and damaged, have been dismantled and are being rebuilt
02:30 the old-fashioned way in this company on the island of Madeira, so that they will soon
02:34 be back on their stone bases.
02:36 "Having the measurements of the base, we were able to make everything else that involves
02:44 the mill itself and use pine-treated wood with autoclave. So maybe it will hold for
02:51 10, 20 or even 30 years."
02:58 (upbeat music)