Guimaraes Castle

Guimaraes Castle is considered one of the mythical territory of Portugal. As such it is a popular tourist destination because of its historical fate that connects it with the inevitable emergence and shaping of the Portuguese nation. In fact the castle Guimaraes is often called the cradle of the nation because it is located where D. Afonso Henriques was born and raised and where he plans to battle for the independence of the province of Portugal in the 12th century. After this he became the first Portuguese king.

The history of Guimaraes Castle began in 968, when the Countess of Galicia - D. Mumadona Dias ordered the construction of the fortress, whose main mission was to protect the local population and the existing monastery from raids by the Vikings and Normans from the shore and Arabs who attacked the South.

In the 11th century the fortress Guimaraes had a solid defensive structure. At that time, Count Henrique took control of the local province, which was entrusted by King Alfonso VI of Leon. The existing tower and wall were reinforced and supplemented and the retaining walls were reinforced at the same time with the original fence and wall.

In 1129 D. Afonso Henrikes proclaimed the independence of Portugal, then Guimaraes Castle became a major site of several battles including one against his mother, who was on the side of opponents, although internally wanted to see an independent Portugal she was against independence.

With the advent of artillery, Guimaraes Castle was then an old fort to resist and was abandoned for several centuries. For a while Guimaraes was used as a prison. In 1910, the castle Guimaraes was declared a national monument of Portugal and in 1937 the National agency responsible for maintenance of buildings and monuments had launched a major restoration. After that, on June 4th, 1940 Guimaraes was officially opened for public visits.