Monuments

The walls built on an ancient castro site, occupied since Bronze Age, now belong to Castelo Bom, in one of the oldest and highest regions of the country.

Castelo Bom sits at an altitude of 725 metres, overlooking the River Côa. The village, close to the border town of Vilar Formoso, is one of the main entry points to the region of Centro de Portugal, and only 323 km from Madrid.

Originally an ancient castro occupied since the Bronze Age, Castelo Bom was formerly a Spanish fortress before becoming part of Portugal following the Treaty of Alcanices.

In the 13th and 14th centuries King D. Dinis ordered the castle and the surrounding wall to be rebuilt. Had you visited this castle in its 16th century heyday you would have seen a double ring of walls, the citadel with a dojon and two square towers. During the Restoration wars meanwhile, the castle was used as a safe haven for the governors of Centro de Portugal, but during the long years of peace that followed it fell into abandon. Today all that remains are the ruins of the wall, the gateway with its broken outer arch and full inner arch, the town’s coat of arms (the national shield with a crown), the cistern on the south side, the store-room on the west side, the rectangular stair and the King’s well.