The Parish Council of Ota launches the operation Guarda à Casa!, a community initiative dedicated to the safeguarding and recovery of the Casa do Guarda, one of the symbols of the Serra de Ota and the ancient Mata da Ota.
More than just recovering a building at risk, this operation aims to bring life back to a place of historical, heritage, and identity value, creating conditions for the Casa do Guarda to once again serve the community and enhance the surrounding territory.
The Casa do Guarda is currently in a state of degradation, requiring urgent intervention. The priority is to halt this process, stabilize the building, and prepare for a phased, responsible, and transparent recovery.
The operation is based on three fundamental dimensions: recovering the Casa do Guarda, protecting and enhancing the Serra de Ota, the ancient Mata da Ota, and the Canhão Cársico, and mobilizing a community of supporters around this mission.
It is in this context that the figure of the Monteiro da Ota emerges. Inspired by the ancient guardians of the Mata da Ota, the Monteiro today represents all those who help safeguard this heritage: volunteers, donors, companies, associations, institutions, and citizens.
Everyone can contribute. Through donations, materials, equipment, services, volunteer labor, or promotion, each support helps bring the community closer to the main goal: not to let the Casa do Guarda fall.
Guarda à Casa! is a call to the community. Safeguarding the Casa means safeguarding the Serra, the memory, and the future of this territory.