Melgaço Castle

Melgaço Castle, locally known as Castelo de Melgaço, lies in the town of the same name in the Alto Minho region in Portugal.

Melgaço Castle sits atop a hill above the Minho River, near the Spanish border. Although Melgaço was never a large town, it played a significant role in the northern defensive line of early Portugal. Tradition suggests that a fortified watchtower may have stood here even before the foundation of the Portuguese kingdom, possibly built by the Moors.

After this region was reconquered and depopulated, King Afonso Henriques ordered its resettlement around 1170 and the construction of a new castle. He granted Melgaço its charter in 1181 or 1183. The castle suffered extensive damage during conflicts between Portugal and León under Kings Sancho I (1185-1211) and Afonso II (1211-1223), but was restored by King Sancho II (1223-1247) and later strengthened by King Denis (1279-1325), who also surrounded the town with curtain walls.

In 1361, during the reign of King Pedro I, Melgaço once again became strategically important as a gateway into Galicia. At the end of the 14th century, during renewed wars between the Iberian kingdoms, Melgaço Castle was seized by Castilian forces. King Pedro I besieged and retook it after fierce fighting. Later, in 1492, it was one of only five authorized border points through which Jews expelled from Spain were allowed to enter Portugal.

During the Peninsular War in the early 19th century, French troops under General Junot occupied the town until the inhabitants rebelled and drove them out.

The castle, dating mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries, features a somewhat oval plan reinforced by 3 towers: one pentagonal, serving as the main gate, and 2 square, integrated into the curtain wall. At its center stands the square granite keep, about 35 meters high.

Today, Melgaço Castle is open to visitors, with a small museum inside the keep. Unfortunately, I arrived just after it closed, so I was unable to visit the museum.

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