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Mina de São Domingos

Mertola  >  Portugal

A disused mining area with lots of derelict buildings with associated scrub and woodland. One of the best places in Portugal for vitgumpseglare.

Tillagd* av Brian Ward
Senast uppdaterad 22 april 2024

Beskrivning

The old São Domingos Mine is a unique place. Once an important copper mine, it is now abandoned. The rocky landscape, devoid of vegetation, is reminiscent of a lunar environment. This place is famous among birders because vitgumpseglare nest in the old mining buildings and can be observed here regularly.

The mining area is also good for medelhavsstenskvätta and sommargylling in summer. During spring migration there are macchiasångare, göktyta and blåtrast. sammetshätta are everywhere. The local breeders include spansk sparv, vit stork, iberisk blåskata and Härfågel.

Detaljer

Tillgänglighet

Mina de São Domingos is located on the left bank of the Guadiana River, 17 kilometers east of Mértola. Access from Mértola is via the national road 265. There is ample parking in the village of São Domingos. Click on a P in the map for directions to a parking spot. The scrub area around the lake is excellent birding with sydnäktergal and Gröngöling common. The old mine workings on the other side of the road is where you will find medelhavsstenskvätta, blåtrast and near the old mine buildings vitgumpseglare. Other birds to look out for are turturduva, provencesångare and trädlärka.

A part of the route can be explored on the route of the old railway, whose tracks have already been raised and which can easily be recognized. This route passes next to the old mine buildings.

Terräng och habitat

Spridda träd och buskar , Park

Förhållanden

Platt , Torrt , Öppet landskap

Rundtur

Ja

Tubkikare behövs?

Kan vara användbart

Bästa säsong för skådning

Vår , Sommar

Bästa tid för ett besök

Vår

Rutt

Grusväg

Hur ansträngande vandring

Genomsnittlig vandring

Nås

Till fots , Cykel , Bil

Fågeltorn / plattform

Nej

Extra information

The old Minas de São Domingos are a kind of open-air museum which you can visit for free. It looks like a set from a science fiction film. There are information signs in Portuguese and English in various places to give you more background information about the metals in the ground and the mining village. A walking route of 14 kilometers has also been set out, where you can see everything that has to do with the mine. If that's too much for you, you can also suffice with just the ruins at São Domingos, where most of them can be seen.

The main mine shaft is more than clearly recognizable. The shaft has now filled with water, creating a kind of lake. Around the lake you see types of stone in all kinds of colors and the water itself also looks a bit atypical. The water is heavily contaminated by sulfuric acid. Wooden paths have been constructed along part of the lake, so you can view the water and the colored stone up close.

Next to the lake are the ruins of the old mining village. In the ghost town you can still see the remains of old houses, a chimney, the loading platform of the station, the old offices and more. There are always signs next to the ruins to indicate what once stood here, so that the place really comes to life.

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