Mining Region

Mythical and mysterious. These are two of the many adjectives that help us classify the Arouca mining region. There are about 100 years of history and stories about the exploitation of tungsten in the southeast of the Arouca Geopark for the production of weapons during the World Wars, mainly by the Germans and the British.

There were two places where these nations set up camp: Rio de Frades and Regoufe, towns that, just a few kilometers from each other, functioned as veritable capitals on either side of the trenches. In fact, while they were fighting in Europe, Arouca’s coexistence was quite cordial. There was a lot of investment in these villages, such as the installation of electricity or telephones, and to this day they retain a heritage that contains many facts and legends.