There are written records from 1092 and 1166 about the salt of Figueira da Foz which prove that salt was already being produced in this region at this time. It is also known that on the banks of the Mondego, in front of Tavarede, there were already marinas in the year 1178, during the reign of D. Afonso Henriques.
There were also some in the Lavos couto in 1236, during the reign of King Sancho II, and in the Morraceira field in 1520, during the reign of King Manuel I.
There are also records from 1611 onwards of salt exports to Spain, Newfoundland, Scotland and the Azores. In 1790 there were 1150 marinas in Figueira da Foz, employing 1150 workers and producing 34,500 moios of salt. In 1791 there were 1,115 salt pans in Figueira da Foz but in 1936 there were only 500.
In the mid-20th century there were a total of 229 salt marshes, distributed across the world. Morraceira Island (141 seagrass beds covering 519 hectares), along the left bank of the South Arm and Ínsua D. José (71 seagrass beds covering 249 hectares) and on the right bank of the North Arm (17 seagrass beds covering about 30 hectares). In 2020, there were around 40 active salt pans in Figueira da Foz.
Salt has already had its time, when over the centuries it was one of the main riches of Figueira, being transported along the Mondego River to supply the interior of the Beiras. In 1950, 30,000 tons were produced for the salting of meat, cod and other fish, and more than 1,300 workers were linked to salt production in Figueira da Foz.
Salt is less used today and the salt pans are now remembered as one of the most important activities of Figueira da Foz in former times.
Salt Museum
It is these times that the Municipality of Figueira da Foz intended to remember with the construction of the Salt Museum Center of Figueira da Foz .
This Museum Center is located in Armazéns de Lavos, inserted in the Municipal Salina do Corredor da Cobra, acquired in 2000 by the Municipality of Figueira da Foz, which removed it from abandonment. The Núcleo Museológico do Sal was inaugurated on August 17, 2007 with the aim of interpreting, valuing and disseminating the work of the salt industry.
The Salt Museum Center includes a Salt Warehouse, a Pedestrian Route through the salt flat, a River Route through the Mondego River estuary and a bird observatory. A visit to the Núcleo Museológico do Sal also reminds us of the difficult times of salt production.
The men repaired the seas, extracted the salt and filled the troughs. The women carried the salt on their heads in wicker baskets from the salt pans to the warehouses and from there to the boats bound for Armazéns de Lavos and Figueira da Foz.
Female bodies, barefoot, swayed under the immense weight of the canisters. When they returned home, these canastras often served as cradles for the children who accompanied their mothers during the working day. Later, at the age of 10 or so, many of these children were salt workers.
Marine preparation begins in May, with the marinas flooded. At this stage, the “esburras” are surveyed and the marinas are depleted during low tide. Immediately, the marnoto gathers the sludge with a wooden squeegee, which is called the “estrangger” of the navy.
The mud and silt are deposited in heaps on the marachões and cilhas and, once dry, the women remove them from the navy in troughs or baskets, which is called “scouting”.
At high tide, the saltwater marinas fill up. The water evaporates, and when a certain concentration of salt is reached, the water passes into progressively smaller plots: the pots, then the headlands and finally the plots.
The exploitation of the marinas was done in partnership, with two thirds of the production going to the owner and one third to the marnoto.
The women carried the salt on their heads in wicker baskets from the salt pans to the warehouses and from there to the boats bound for Armazéns de Lavos and Figueira da Foz. The men repaired the seas, extracted the salt and filled the troughs.
Difficult times are remembered here, in homage to the “people of salt”.
