Castle of Guimarães

Classified as a National Monument, the Castle of Guimarães reminds us of the origin of the Portuguese Nation 🇵🇹 since it was the place where in 1112 D. Afonso Henriques was born, the first king of Portugal. In addition, the castle evokes mystery and the heroism of the kings 👑, queens, princes, princesses and knights who passed through there.

History

In the 10th century, the Countess of Portucalense County Mumadona Dias (incredible name!) ordered the construction of a castle in the estate of Vimaranes - currently Guimarães. The main purpose of this castle was to serve as a fortress to protect monks and the Christian community from Moorish and Norman attacks. In order to revive the Portucalense County, Count D. Henrique and his wife, Dª. Teresa de Leão decided to move to this castle/monastery by ordering to expand and improve their defensive structures. Tradition says that it was inside the castle that D. Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, was born in 1112 🍼. After the death of Count D. Henrique, D. Teresa was responsible for the Portucalense County but ended up getting involved in some schemes with Galician nobles, which revolted the Portuguese people. Against the ideals that his mother supported and with Fernão Peres de Trava, his mother's lover, wanting to take over the government of the Portucalense County, D. Afonso Henriques, at the age of 14 becomes a knight and fights a battle with the Galician troops ⚔️. This battle had the name of São Mamede and marked one of the first affirmation moments of the independence will of the Leon Kingdom.

In the following years, the castle underwent several changes and reforms on the part of the various kings, being the last reform made under the reign of D. João I. From then on, the castle ceased to have a defensive function and started to house the municipal jail and later, a haystack. Over the years, it suffered a process of abandonment and degradation until, in the 20th century, a recovery project began. Guimarães Castle was declared a National Monument in 1910 and is one of the Wonders of Portugal since 2007.

How to get

Guimarães is in the district of Braga about a 50-minute drive from Porto. It’s an incredible place to do a 1 or 2 day getaway because there are several must-see attractions to visit. So, I would say that the best way to get there is by car 🚗.

Price

The individual ticket to the castle of Guimarães is 2€ per person and students and people over 65 only pay only 1€ (it's free for children under 12 years!). The ticket can be purchased together with a visit to Paço dos Duques (another must-see attraction in Guimarães) for 6€ per person.

The visit

As Guimarães is very close to Porto I usually go there several times for a walk but I only entered Guimarães castle 3 times (I say only but I guess it’s a lot 🤣). As I have a valid student card, the ticket is only 1€ so I consider it’s very cheap so that it allows me to explore the walls. Anyone who comes close to the castle is immediately enchanted with the statue of D. Afonso Henriques, which is located in front of the Paço dos Duques palace. Then we just need to continue on a dirt track in the middle of the garden to reach the castle. The ticket office is located right at the entrance embedded in one of the main towers of the castle. From the moment you enter the castle, you just need to start exploring! You have to be very careful because the ruins are not in the best condition and it’s better for you to use comfortable shoes 👟. I would say that half an hour is perfectly enough to go through the walls and see a great panoramic view of the city of Guimarães from above.

Have you ever visited this castle that was the birthplace of the Portuguese nation? Portugal has lots of hidden corners that are worth a visit to immerse yourself in the origins - click here to see all posts about Portugal.

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