Monuments

Borba Castle was built at the orders of D. Afonso II, in 1217, to mark yet another victory in the Christian Reconquest of this part of the territory. In 1302, the king D. Dinis, who was concerned about preserving the borders of Portugal, ordered maintenance work to be undertaken on the castle and strengthened the perimeter walls, just as was done with most of the towns and military fortifications of that time.

The castle´s square shape followed the plan of Domingos Salvador and Rodrigo Fernandes, in keeping with the style commonly used at that time in the building of fortifications in this region: thick walls, the outer perimeter walls being crowned with Gothic merlons, with a wide parapet running all the way along them, and a very pronounced moat. The region´s economic and social stability meant that the castle´s defensive function was minimised and similarly reduced the need to strengthen this particular military structure. This situation caused the castle to gradually blend in with the houses.

However, some stretches of the castle wall are still visible, as well as two gates (Porta do Celeiro (the Granary Gate) and Porta de Estremoz) and the sturdy keep, which are all now notable features of Borba´s urban landscape. On the southern façade is a stone with an inscription in archaic Portuguese, confirming the actions taken by D. Dinis and the authorship of the building work.