Noudar Castle

Noudar Castle, locally known as Castelo de Noudar, lies northwest of the village of Barrancos in the Baixo Alentejo region in Portugal.

The first fortification at this site was built by the Muslims in the 10th or 11th century. It was taken by Christian forces during the 12th century. In 1303, it was donated to the Military Order of Aviz by Denis of Portugal with the stipulation to rebuild the castle. The medieval Noudar Castle was subsequently built by the Order, between 1308 and 1319.

The castle then consisted of an inner castle with a robust square keep in the southeast of the fortification and an outer castle in the northwestern part. The curtain walls of the outer castle encircled the village. The castle crowned a 275-meter-high hilltop in a bend of the Ardila River, north of it and the Murtega Stream, south of it.

Noudar Castle was taken by the Kingdom of Castile in 1339, but was returned to the Portuguese crown in 1372. In 1385, it was again taken by Castile, only to be, once again, returned to the Portuguese a year later. During the wars of the 17th and early 18th century, possession of the castle also changed hands several times between Spain and Portugal, until it finally remained in Portuguese hands. All these warring times had led to a depopulation and ruined state of the castle.

During the 18th century, all the functions of the castle and village of Noudar were gradually taken over by the village of Barrancos. This caused the site to be abandoned during the 19th century.

The castle ruin was consolidated and restored in the last quarter of the 20th century and again during the last decade.

Noudar Castle can freely be visited during daytime hours. It is, however, situated in the middle of nowhere. There is only one dead end road leading to it from Barrancos, which is for the most part a dirt road. Driving to it will take about 30 minutes. So, it is really off the beaten path. But a visit is surely worth it, you'll probably be the only visitor to admire the castle and the empty landscape around it. The Ardila River beneath it is also the border between Portugal and Spain.

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