town was elevated
to the rank of city by king José II in 1773. Most of the
archives were lost in the earthquake of 1755 that destroyed
Lisbon, but it is known that several early kings and queens of
Portugal visited Monchique to use the medicinal waters. It is
also known that during the Moorish occupation of the Algarve,
Monchique played part in the defense of their capital Silves
(Xelb). There are reports from the crusaders of a fort in
Monchique (Castelo de Nave) but the exact location of this
fort has also been lost.
At the beginning of the century, Monchique could be considered
as an important
center, with it's own court, university,
newspapers, a convent, etc. and even a casino in
Caldas! Since then, the population has declined
and aged due to the economic pressure and the
attraction of coastal tourism, but this tendency
seems to be reversing slowly thanks to a new
generation of residents seeking the unspoilt
environment that Monchique can still offer.
The
Weather
Temperature: Although at the highest point of the
Monchique mountain range (Foia 902m.) small
amounts of snow can fall from time to time, the
temperatures are normally mild, with the minimum
around 12ºC in Winter and 25ºC in Summer. On
average Monchique records in a year 74 days when
the maximum temperature is over 25ºC.
Rain: Most of the rain (84%) falls between
November and April, with a maximum in January
(250mm). In counterpart, only 2% of the total
rain fall during the Summer months (June to
September).
Wind: The wind is generally moderate,
predominantly from the Northwest, and sometimes
from the South.
