The “Parque Temático Moninollógico de Oliveira de Azeméis”, inaugurated in March 2009, focuses on a 29 hectares of the parishes of Ul and Travanca, that gather the largest number of mills, 60 of a total of 300 that had been listed in the county. The park, formed by 11 rebuilted mills and divided into three small groups scattered along rivers Ul and Antuã which retrieves the activity of milling cereals such as maize, wheat, corn and rye and honors the bread of UI, at same time, takes us to the beginning of the pre-industrial stage of rice processing in buildings with more than 200 years.
The visit begins next to the Largo do Souto, at Ul. Here, the smell of the hot baked bread cooked in wooden oven just open up the appetite for a journey through the history. In the bakery, the frantic movements of the bread dough preparation showing the commitment of the bakers making the famous “padas of Ul”, a parish also known for the crusty bread or the “regueifa doce” with a bitter taste of cinnamon.
The first group is the “Ponte da Igreja”, which can be reached by car for those who do not want to go through the four kilometers of footpath along the river banks.
The “Núcleo Museológico do Moinho e do Pão” (Museum Centre of the Mill and the Bread), consists of six buildings completely recovered, plastered in white, and including a bar, toilet facilities and auditorium, standing out the space that shows the traditional grinding process, the oven in operation especially on weekends in a small kitchen next to the reception and the exhibition of implements, utensils and images that described the local history.
Location: Oliveira de Azeméis
