Guimarães Castle (Castelo de Guimarães)
Guimarães Castle in Guimarães is one of the main tourist attractions in this UNESCO World Heritage city.
Guimarães Castle is considered one of the finest castles in Portugal and is of particular importance in the history of Portugal.
History
The original fortress on the site was constructed in the 10th century by Mumadona Dias, the widow of Count Hermenegildo Gonçalves.
The castle was meant as a place of secure refuge both for the town's inhabitants and the monks and nuns of a monastery on the site of what is now the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira. Guimarães' citizens needed a secure place to escape frequent raids by Vikings from the north and the Muslims from the south.
However, the castle has changed much over the succeeding centuries.
It was enlarged in the 11th century and it was here Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, was born (possibly) in 1111.
Thus, Guimarães Castle is associated with the birth of the Portuguese nation. First the castle was besieged in 1127 by Afonso VII of León and Castile. Then, in the following year, Afonso defeated opposing forces under the command of his mother Teresa and her lover the Count Fernando Peres de Trava of Galicia at the Battle of São Mamede, just outside the castle walls.
After victory over the Moors at the Battle of Ourique in 1139, Afonso was proclaimed King of Portugal by his nobles and troops.
The castle was remodelled by King Denis (1261-1325) in the late 13th and early 4th centuries to take the shape we largely see today. The fortress withstood two sieges in the 14th century and thereafter rather fell in to decline in the subsequent centuries. It was used briefly as a debtors' prison in the 19th century.
The castle was declared a national monument in 1910 and restoration work began in the 1930's.
Architecture
Guimarães Castle is laid out in a pentagram shape resembling a medieval shield.
There are seven towers altogether on the walls including the rectangular inner fort with towers on each corner. The Torre de Menagem is the central tower and keep.
Access
Castelo de Guimarães
Rua Conde D. Henrique
4810-412 Guimarães
Tel: 253 412 273
Admission: 2 Euros with concessions for students and people over 65 years of age; the castle can also be entered using the Guimarães Pass (15 Euros or 18 Euros with the Teleférico).
Hours: 10 am - 6 pm daily; closed January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1 and December 25.
Nearby
Close to the castle are the Church of São Miguel do Castelo and the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Paço dos Duques de Bragança) both of which can be seen from the battlements.
The small, squat, medieval Church of São Miguel do Castelo is supposedly where the young Afonso Henriques was baptized. Signs within the church proclaim this as fact, though the historical evidence is inconclusive.
Also within a short walk of the castle are the Convento do Carmo and the Convento de Santo António dos Capuchos.
A recommended eatery close to the castle walls is Cor de Tangerina (Tel: 253 542 009) which has excellent vegetarian food that can be served al fresco on a terrace with views up to the castle. There is also a large restaurant/cafe Cafetaria Conquistador on Rua Conde Dom Henrique open during the day.
Hotels close to the castle include the four star Santa Luzia ArtHotel and the Hotel da Oliveira, also four star.