On this walk we'll explore the charms of the town of Alenquer, its monuments, churches and streets with magnificent landscapes and nooks and crannies. We'll also take the opportunity to see the portal of the Convent of St Francis, the town hall building, pass by the old Jewish quarter and climb up to the castle, thus getting to know this land much better.... and we'll also make an incursion into the surrounding area, along rural paths and some trails.

Alenquer Castle:

A fortress of great strategic value in the defence of the right bank of the Tagus during the Middle Ages, Alenquer Castle was probably built at a time when the Muslims dominated the territory. King Afonso Henriques spent two months conquering it in 1148. The naive legend of Alão Quer arose from this episode. Later strengthened, it was the target of famous, unsuccessful sieges, which attests to its robustness In 1199, in the letter in which King Sancho warned some mayors of the coming of the French, the first mayor of Alenquer, Gomes Mendes, is already mentioned. In the 14th and 15th centuries, Alenquer Castle was one of 15 castles in Extremadura and around a hundred in Portugal.

Chemina Wool Factory:

Founded by a limited partnership, the COMPANHIA DE LANIFÍCIOS DA CHEMINA was due to the initiative of the brothers José Joaquim and Salomão dos Santos Guerra, later managers of the establishment. Designed by José Juvêncio da Silva - who also designed the Town Hall - it began to be built in April 1889, on land belonging to the old Quinta or Casal da Chemina, from where it took its name. It was inaugurated in June 1890. Shortly afterwards it employed 200 workers of both sexes and manufactured, among other products, shawls, casimiras, castorinas, girdles, barrettes and blankets. Unlike its contemporary factories, it opted only for the power of a steam engine, whereas its location by the river could have allowed it to use hydraulics. Shortly afterwards, the company became a public limited company. A large part of the capital was held by industrialists and bankers from Porto, such as Cândido Ribeiro da Silva and Carlos José Alves. José and Salomão Guerra, as well as managing the factory, were in charge of the finishing and weaving sections. Before Chemina was founded, they had held similar positions in the Romeira and "do Meio" factories, which is why they left their home town of Arrentela, in the municipality of Seixal, another important wool production centre. Half a century after it was founded in 1940, FÁBRICA DE LANIFÍCIOS DA CHEMINA, S.A.R.L., continues to manufacture the same products. Its head office is in Porto, in Rua Formosa, and the management is still entrusted to one Guerra, Isidoro de Castro Guerra, nephew of the founders. But in 1948, another company operated the establishment. It was then called FÁBRICA BARROS, LDA. For a short time. Between 1949 and 1952 it remained closed until another company took it over: EMPRESA LANIFÍCIOS TEJO, LDA. which re-equipped it and put it into operation. In 1977 it employed 160 workers. In 1994, on the verge of closing down for good and occupying only part of the buildings, it employed just 15 to 20 workers. The buildings are now municipal property. In 2000, the main building suffered a violent fire

- Alenquer Castle - St Peter's Church - Misericórdia Church - Alenquer Town Hall - Chemina Wool Factory - Church of Santa Maria da Várzea - Vaz Monteiro Park - Manueline Portal of the Convent of St Francis - Tower of Couraça - Tower of the Church of St James (ruins) - Natural landscapes -