Lamego Castle

Lamego Castle, locally known as Castelo de Lamego, lies in the town of the same name in the Douro region in Portugal.

Perched on a rocky spur between the Leomil and Meadas mountains, Lamego Castle dominates the surrounding hills and vineyards of the Douro region. Its strategic position at the crossroads of the old Roman roads between Viseu and Guarda made it an important stronghold from early antiquity. Archaeological evidence and inscriptions suggest a fortified settlement existed here during the Roman and Visigothic periods, and that coins were minted locally under King Sisebut in the early 7th century. When the Moors arrived in the 8th century, they strengthened the defenses and made Lamego a regional administrative center.

In 1057 or 1058, King Ferdinand I of León besieged and captured the castle. Chroniclers record that the walls were so high and strong that he was forced to build siege towers. After his victory, the Muslim governor was allowed to remain in charge on condition of allegiance to León. During the Christian reconquest of Portugal, the next Muslim governor, Echa Martim, rebelled and raided the lands of Count Henry of Burgundy, prompting Henry to march on Lamego, capture the rebel, and restore Christian rule.

The keep and upper enclosure were probably rebuilt under King Sancho I (1185–1211), who granted Lamego its first charter. The outer town walls were added later under King Afonso III, enclosing the lower courtyard and incorporating several gates, including the Sun Gate (Porta do Sol) and Fig Gate (Porta dos Figos). King Manuel I renewed the town’s charter in 1514, and in 1679 King Pedro II convened the Cortes (royal assembly) within the castle, one of the last times a Portuguese monarch used a medieval fortress for such an event.

Together with the castles of Numão, Penedono, Trancoso, and Marialva, Lamego Castle formed part of a chain of fortifications protecting the upper Douro valley and the interior routes to the Beira frontier. This network secured the vital corridors linking the Douro basin to the Mondego valley and the Spanish Meseta beyond the mountains. Within this system, Lamego served as the southern anchor, controlling trade and military movement along the river, and serving as the regional seat of royal power during the Middle Ages.

Structurally, the castle consisted of an upper walled enclosure with a square keep at the northwest corner and a lower enclosure surrounding the town. A large granite cistern still exists within the lower ward, likely contemporary with the keep but carved by different masons, as indicated by the stone markings. The keep was later converted for residential use, with a 17th-century window above the Sun Gate dated 1642. Parts of the lower walls have disappeared beneath later buildings, but sections of the curtain wall and two medieval gates, the Sun Gate and the Fig Gate, still stand.

Today, Lamego Castle can be visited for free. You can walk along the top of its walls and view a small exhibition about its history inside the keep. Unfortunately, access to the keep's roof is not permitted. I also recommend visiting the cistern in the lower ward and exploring the archaeological exhibition next to the Fig Gate.

Gallery