Castles in Portugal
Welcome in Portugal. Due to his location near the Atlantic Ocean, it always was important place to be in the history. Because, it has the open way to the ocean. This means, that it was needed to protect the empire.
Castles to protect the empire
So when you find a hill, you can bet on it that it has a castle above. Some castles are still well preserved and are able to visit. Others are more a ruin and even maybe not able to visit.
About the country
As told above, Portugal has a huge history and a lot of folks already found their way to this place on earth. Like Celts, Romans and Moors, before the Christian people reconquered the country.
More than 770 years of independency
The borders of Portugal never changed since 1249, after the Moors where driven out of the last part, the Algarve. From that time on, Portugal became a Kingdom.
Where to find castles
To protect the empire, and later on the Kingdom of Portugal, the castles where important. So, on most hills you find a castle above. A lot of them are located in the Alentejo. The reason for this is that when you are on a hill over there, you can overview the whole region and see the danger coming from far away.
Below find a list of some interesting castles to discover over there. Keep on reading to find out which one you like the most.
Beja
The capital of Baixo Alentejo
In the capital of the lowest part of the Alentejo, we find the castle of Beja. It is located in the city center and has an important part in the city skyline. A wonderful, well preserved castle where you can walk on the walls and go to the top of the tower. Over there, you will love the nice overview over the whole region.
Estremoz
The marble region of Portugal
Estremoz is located in the marble region of Portugal, in the district of Évora. Also in the city center, you can already discover this. Almost anywhere there is marble in the streets and on houses. Even the tower of this castle, named to Queen Saint Elizabeth (Rainha Santa Isabel), is completely made in marble. This makes it so wonderful to discover. The castle itself is located a little bit out of the city center. But the tower overlooks nicely the city.
Portel
Nice look from Beja to Évora
Driving from Beja to Évora, you see this castle as a nice spot on your right side. When you get this view, the only thing you want to do is leaving the main road and drive to Portel. So we did. The castle itself is located on the top out of the centrum. But as in the other locations, you get a nice overview of the castle from a lot of places in the village.
Moura
At the eastern side side of Portel, you reach Moura. A little place located high on a top. The road to this place already is a nice trip. Because you pass the Alqueva Dam and afterwards the smaller roads upwards.
A capital of a Moorish province
The castle is built on Moorish walls. Moura was the capital of a Moorish province. So, this was a very important place by the Muslims on the Iberian peninsula.
Viana do Alentejo
White church in the middle of the castle
In the middle of the Alentejo, we arrive in Viana do Alentejo. This is a nice small village with a lot to discover. I this article, it is the castle that interests us. This is a well preserved castle and a must do o discover when you are in this region. But, in stead of the other castles we are talking about, you have to pay to enter and visit this castle. For this, you get a well preserved castle, with a nice church in it and a museum. The church also has a manueline door.
Almourol
The last castle we are talking about maybe is the most impressive one. This is not located in the Alentejo, but just at the northern side. Now we are in the Ribatejo, in the district of Santarém.
A Templar castle in the middle of the Tagus river
The castle is located on a tiny island in the middle of the Tagus river, o rio Tejo, in Vila Nova da Barquinha. Due to his location, it always had a military function and was very important to protect the region and connection between the Tagus river and Zêzere river. Read more in this article about this castle.
You can visit this castle. To reach it, a boat brings you to the island and back. Also here, you have to pay a little bit to enter this well preserved castle.
A passion to travel, culture, food and history
I hope you liked this article and it inspires you to learn more about Portugal. In that case stay tuned to read more articles or take a look at my blog lindoportugal.eu.
Have a nice time!
Sámuel
