Marialva Castle

Marialva Castle, locally known as Castelo de Marialva, lies above the village of the same name in the Beiras e Serra da Estrela region in Portugal.

The castle sits atop a granite hill overlooking the Côa valley, dominating the historic frontier region of Riba Côa. The site shows evidence of continuous occupation from the Iron Age onward, including a castro (hill fort) later adapted by the Romans. After the fall of Roman power, Visigoths and Moors successively occupied the settlement until it was taken by King Ferdinand I of León in the mid-11th century, and definitively integrated into Portuguese territory by King Afonso I (Afonso Henriques) in the 12th century.

The medieval town developed around the castle, which was rebuilt in stone under King Sancho I and strengthened by King Denis (1279–1325). Its current layout was formed between the 13th and 14th centuries. In 1297, the Treaty of Alcañices confirmed its position within Portuguese territory, and in the 14th century, it was garrisoned by royal troops defending the upper Côa valley. Under King Manuel I, the town received a new charter in 1510, marking its shift from a military stronghold to an administrative center.

Together with the castles of Guarda, Linhares da Beira, Celorico da Beira, Trancoso, and Longroiva, Marialva was part of a chain of fortified mountain towns that secured the Beira frontier during the wars with León and Castile. Each of these strongholds crowned a high granite ridge, offering wide views over the surrounding valleys.

Over time, the population gradually moved outside the walls, forming the Arrabalde quarter below. By the 17th century, the walled town was largely abandoned, leaving only the castle and a few houses occupied by guards and shepherds. Nevertheless, the site retained symbolic importance and became a focus of early conservation efforts in the 20th century after it was classified as a National Monument in 1910.

Marialva Castle features an irregular polygonal enclosure reinforced by seven towers and accessed through two main gates: the Porta do Anjo da Guarda to the north and the Porta do Sol to the south. The keep within the inner castle rises in the center of the settlement, square in shape and topped with battlements, while inside the walls are remains of houses, cisterns, and a church.

Today, Marialva Castle is fully open to visitors for a small fee. I highly recommend a visit; I loved walking the streets of the ruined medieval town.

Gallery