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Castles of the Alentejo

"The history of the Castles of the Alentejo"

"A história dos Castelos do Alentejo"

What is the history of the castles of the Alentejo?

When you travel through the Alentejo, you get the impressive landscape views with a medieval castle at the top of a mountain. From well-preserved castles to ruins. All of these castles mark the rich history of this region and Portugal. Some of them are must do's to visit, others are not open for public. So, take your favourite way of transport and discover the history of the castles of the Alentejo. Read this post to learn more about the impressive castles.

Estimated read time: 8 minutes

keywords:

#castle, #medieval, #alentejo, #history

What is a castle in Portugal?

"The difference between a castle and a palace"

First of all, in Portugal a castle is a medieval building which was built to protect the location and the whole region. Most of them have a history linked to the Christian reconquest on the Moors. This makes them different from a palace, which was built as a residence or work place for the royals, nobility or very important people. It is important to make this difference, because in some countries a castle is built next to a vineyard, for the lords or for the nobility. This is not the case in Portugal. Now, you will understand why in Portugal a castle stands at a top mountain. Because from there, they had the perfect overview over the large region and they saw the danger coming from far away.

"Divide the castles in different styles"

Since the castles date back from the Middle Ages, there also was mostly an entire wall around the town or village. At some locations, this wall is still there and sometimes walkable. The castles were built using the natural elements that were present. So, some are strategically along a river or the water side and others at the top of a single hill alone in the landscape. The available materials in the region make also a unique difference between the many castles of the Alentejo. This allows us to divide the castles in different styles and themes:

Along the waterside

Lonely at the top

Reused as historical important

Ruins

Castles of the Alentejo along the waterside

A river was always an important natural separation and transit route. So, it was important to protect it. This is why there are built castles on hills along the waterside. In the north of the Alentejo, you find the castles of Belver and Amieira do Tejo. While in the Baixo Alentejo, there are must visit castles in Mértola and Moura. Or a little bit closer to the Spanish border, you'll discover the castle of Monsaraz in the white walled village.

Castles of the Alentejo lonely at the top

Some other castles stand lonely in an impressive landscape view. You see them already from far away. They stand lonely at a top mountain. Sometimes, the villages or cities of these castles still are surrounded with a wall. It is possible to walk on some of these walls, on other walls it is not possible because it is too dangerous.

The castle of Evoramonte is a great example of a castle standing alone at a top mountain in the middle of the landscape. It is a unique place to visit. But the castle is not always open for public. The castle of Arraiolos is also a wonderful castle to visit. It stands high above the village and has 2 towers: the Torre de Menagem and the Torre do Relógio. The Torre do Relógio is built in the Manueline Style, which is the typical Portuguese late Gothic style. In the middle of the walls of the castle, you still can visit a church of the 16th century. Arraiolos is also internationally known for its hand-woven carpets.

When you travel from Beja to Évora, you also will discover a wonderful view of the castle of Portel. This castle appears when you are driving on the highway. It is a unique postcard view that encourages you to take the exit on the highway to visit this place. When you see this castle, it appears like the castle is still in use with a medieval feeling to protect the region you are travelling through. But at this moment it is not possible to visit the tower of the castle. You can walk around the walls for free and enjoy the typical landscape views of the Alentejo.

While the absolute top castle at the highest top mountain is the castle of Marvão high in the mountains of the Serra de S. Mamede. This historic city and walled village is located at one of the highest mountains of the Alentejo in the Portalegre district in the Alto Alentejo. This is also a walled city where you can perfectly walk on the city wall. When you stand on top of the highest towers of this castle, at the eastern side, you look to Spain, while at the western side you see the Serra de S. Mamede and the village Castelo de Vide. This location has also a great castle to visit. You find more of the castle of Castelo de Vide in the next style.

Castles of the Alentejo that are reused as historical important

Some castles are also reused for something else. There are also castles that where very important in the history of Portugal. Such castles are those of Castelo de Vide, Estremoz and Elvas.

Captain Salgueiro Maia in Castelo de Vide

Castelo de Vide in the district Portalegre and the Serra de S. Mamede was the home Fernando Salgueiro Maia. Salgueiro Maia was a crucial captain in the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974. He was born in Castelo de Vide. So in the castle of Castelo de Vide, you find a museum dedicated to Salgueiro Maia. Because he was maybe the most important military figure in the field responsible for a decisive change in Portugal's very recent history.

Marble and Vasco da Gama in Estremoz

Estremoz is located east of Évora, in the marble region of Portugal. When you walk through this city, you'll discover marble everywhere. Also the tower of the castle of Estremoz is built completely in white marble. Near this castle, you find a chapel and a statue of Queen Saint Elisabeth, Rainha Santa Isabel. The castle dates from the 13th century and there was also made a very important decision that has shaped our entire history. In the 15th century, this castle served as a royal palace. It was in this castle that King D. Manuel I gave the order to Vasco da Gama to discover the sea route to India. So, this castle was the start of the most important maritime voyage by the Portuguese. Like many other historical buildings in Portugal, a part of this castle is a luxury hotel. Hotels in historical buildings in Portugal are known as Pousada. This hotel is known as the Pousada Castelo Estremoz and part of the Pestana Hotel Group. A nice extra is that when you look in the right direction, you can see the mountain and castle of Evoramonte from the castle of Estremoz. Take a binocular or a telephoto lens to see it better.

Elvas and its star fortresses

Furthermore to the Spanish border, you arrive in the city of Elvas. Today, you are in around 30 minutes by car in Badajoz (Spain) from Elvas. This is so close to the Spanish border that it was a very important place in history to protect the country. So, Elvas was a fortified city built in a tactically secure way. It is built in a star on a higher place and completely surrounded by a wall. While there are 2 fortresses around the city centre. These fortresses are built in a double star to protect the city, the region and the country. Still today, they use this star-technique to build highly secured military buildings worldwide. You can visit the castle and the 2 fortresses. From there you get an impressive overview over the whole region and you can see as far as Spain, while you get a journey through history.

Castles of the Alentejo that are now ruins

There are also many other castles in the Alentejo to discover. Because a castle in Portugal dates mostly from the Middle Ages, there are also many castles which are ruins and are not possible to visit. So, not every castle is interesting travelling to. This makes it sometimes a good idea to find out if the castle is open for public. Otherwise, you maybe make the whole trip to get a closed castle. While there are many other castles in the Alentejo you can visit and that are maybe more worth your trip.

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