Portalegre Castle

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

After the town was granted a charter by Afonso III of Portugal in 1259, Portalegre Castle was first mentioned in 1271. During the 1290s, Afonso's son, Denis of Portugal, remodeled the castle and finished building the town walls. In 1299, however, Denis had to attack the fortifications he had built, because his brother Afonso, who was Lord of Portalegre, also claimed the Portuguese throne and a dispute about ownership of Portalegre had arisen.

During the crisis of the 1383-1385 Portuguese interregnum, the castle was stormed by the people of Portalegre, ousting their mayor because he had chosen the side of the Castilians.

The town's defenses and the castle were strengthened, first during the 16th century, and again in the course of the Portuguese Restoration War, in the mid-17th century. Later, these proved ineffective, as the town was occupied by French and Spanish troops in 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession. It was again conquered by Spanish troops in 1801 during the War of the Oranges.

Urban growth and loss of strategic importance led to the abandonment of Portalegre Castle, which subsequently fell to ruin during the 19th century. Probably during that era, a street was laid out through the castle, demolishing stretches of the curtain walls, effectively separating the keep from the rest of the castle. It was first consolidated in the 1960s.

Around 2000 a small museum opened its doors in the medieval keep. A few years a wooden structure was erected within the castle walls, again connecting the keep with the castle, meant to be used for cultural activities. This wooden structure however was closed in 2021 and is now falling into dilapidation.

The castle has a somewhat oblong plan with 3 rectangular towers, one of which is the keep. In medieval times the keep was an integral part of the town wall.

Portalegre Castle can freely be visited during business hours. The sad thing is that only the keep can be accessed, the wooden structure that gave access to the rest of the castle is permanently closed. Too bad, because the wall walk and the 2 other towers look nice too.

Nearby, on a hill above the town, is also the Atalaião Tower.

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