This ancient cluster of saltwater pools was formed by the flow and cooling of volcanic lava over thousands of years in the small coastal municipality of Porto Moniz on the north-west tip of Madeira. These natural formations were adapted in 1940 with the construction of a concrete seawall that merged the fragmented pools into one entity.
The project was commissioned by the municipal administration during one of the longest-surviving authoritarian regimes in Europe in the twentieth century, Portugal’s Estado Novo (‘new state’).
The serpentine curves of smooth, white concrete that provide access to the water are evocative of central European modernism that was becoming increasingly popular across the continent. In fact, concrete was an unusual construction material in Portugal at this time, but the regime was keen to progress its own style of modernism. During the Estado Novo regime, citizens were obliged to provide community service and it’s thought the work to create the pools was undertaken by the residents of Porto Moniz.
Various updates were made through to April 1974 when the pool that we have today was completed. Although there is a small charge for entry to the pools, their scale and significance makes it worthy of inclusion. Further around the craggy coastline is Piscinas Naturais Velhas, which is in complete contrast to Piscinas Naturais de Porto Moniz. Enveloped within a lofty basalt terrain, these pools have high-level bridges and walkways for landlubbers to watch the more adventurous circumnavigate the pools, They’re also free.
