Loulé Câmara is proposing to classify the city’s Café Calcinha as a place of special municipal interest, entitling the building to a preservation order.
The café has always been an important social and cultural beacon for the city. It is decorated in Art Deco style, the only remaining such example in the city. Officials responsible for the café feel it is vitally important to preserve the building, as it represents a ‘collective memory’ for the city. The Café Calcinha, also known as Café Central, is said to be a perfect replica of a Brazilian café that was opened in Loulé in 1927. A spokesman from Loulé Câmara explained. “Its atmosphere harks back to the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the city’s bygone era.”
Many famous Portuguese names have passed through the Café Calcinha, including the popular Portuguese poet António Aleixo, who is celebrated with a statue at the entrance.
