The Fonte das Bicas is regarded as the symbol of Borba and the monument that unites all the people of Borba. This monument was built on the orders of Borba Town Council between 1781 and 1785, based on a design by the military engineer José Álvares de Barros, to mark the visit of King Pedro III and Queen Maria I. Built from local white marble, it comprises three basins – a larger central one and two smaller side basins – above which stand the busts of Queen Maria and King Pedro. An artificial lake was constructed behind the Fonte das Bicas.
This engineer drew inspiration from the designs that Carlos Mardel had produced in 1752 for the fountains of the city of Lisbon. The Fonte das Bicas was thus conceived as an element of urban planning, helping to create a new square, the present-day Praça da República.
The central basin is fed by three spouts. Local tradition holds that each spout is intended for a different marital status – the unmarried, the married and the widowed – and that anyone who drinks from them will always return to Borba. On either side, further down, are the spouts intended for children.
The Fonte das Bicas has been classified as a national monument since 1910.
