Bragança - Fortaleza 
Above the town stands the massive Castle, an imposing stronghold, long regarded as impregnable, which was built by King Sancho I in 1187 and later strengthened by Joao I. Originally the castle enclosed within its double circuit of walls and eighteen towers the whole of the medieval town. Contemporary views, however, show that by the 15th C. the town had expanded well beyond the castle walls.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
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Related Attractions
Dom Fernando
In front of the Fortaleza gateway is a modern statue of Dom Fernando, Duke of Bragança and governor of Ceuta, erected to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the ceremonial granting of a charter to the town in 1464.
Torre de Menagem
Within the walls are the remains of the Ducal Castle (12th C.), seat of the Dukes of Bragança. The 34m/112ft high keep, the Torre de Menagem, with two fine Gothic twin windows on the south and east sides, was built in the 15th C. Nearby is a 6m/20ft high pelourinho (pillory column), its Gothic shaft resting on the back of a wild boar carved from granite, probably dating from the late Iron Age. Also within the precincts of the castle is the church of Santa Maria do Castelo (16th C.), with a fine Renaissance doorway.
Town Hall
The most interesting building within the Fortaleza walls is the Romanesque Domus Municipalis, a severe granite structure of the 12th C., built over a Roman cistern. In form an irregular pentagon, it has a dwarf gallery under the roof ridge (recently restored). This is one of the few secular buildings of the Romanesque period in Portugal.
