Silves Town Hall
Silves Town Hall is locally known as Camara Municipal de Silves is situated in the Praça do Municipio. It is very close to the Turret of the City Gate (Torreão da Porta da Cidade). The interior of the building has tiles and arches. Due to city’s rich history, unsurprisingly, the symbol of today’s city is a castle and the crescent moon.
Inside the building, arches give a sense of open space and elegance. A single staircase connects with two stairs cases to provide access to the upper level. The tiles which are used beside the staircase have blue and gold colours.
In the past, it was a thriving town due to its’ location, close to the coast and fertile lands. During the Moorish era the River Arade was significantly wider allowing boats to navigate along its length to Portimão and the sea. At one point, during the Muslim rule, Silves had 30,000 people living in it. As the history changed its course river silted up the prosperity of Silves dwindled and the town was reduced to a population of less than 500 people. In one of the photos inside the building, it shows city walls and the River Arade, castle and cathedral of the city.
