Guarda Castle - Guarda
Located in the highest city of Portugal, this castle can be found at 1056 metres of altitude. A castle from the Roman-Gothic style, its walls began being built in the end of the 12th century. The first turret and the Keep of the castle were also built at that time. After consecutive construction interruptions, the Castle was finally finished in the 15th Century. This explains its peculiar characteristics.
Its walls, which enveloped the medieval population centre, have an irregular configuration, and there are noticeable changes made through time and according to particular needs in the configuration of the Keep of castle (irregular pentagonal area) and in the Ferreiros tower (square area), which is a part of a double door.
Also quite visible are the Erva Door (or Estrela Door) and the Ferreiros Door to the east, d’El Rei Door and the Falsa Door to the north.

Belmonte Castle – Belmonte
One of the most emblematic Portuguese castles, the Belmonte Castle is considered the birthplace of Pedro Álvares Cabral. A lookout station over the Zêzere valley, its building was ordered by D. Sancho I in 1199, the same date as the Foral da Vila (1).
Having suffered some transitions due to, amongst other reasons, the Alcanizes Treaty in 1297, the Belmonte Castle was ruled by several lords between 1392 and 1466, date in which the Town and the Castle are donated to Fernão Cabral (father of the Navigator) by D. Afonso V.
Located in a hill at 615 metres of altitude, the Keep of the castle is built near the wall. The building inside the castle is dated from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Sabugal Castle - Sabugal
This castle has a Gothic military architecture, oval lined irregular perimeter and a citadel with double walls. Also, it has an outer curtain and cylindrical towers. This castle somehow resembles the ones of Estremoz, Montalegre and Beja. The peculiarity of the inner ward, which has five towers, makes this castle different from the other castles in the region.
This castle belonged to the Kingdom of Leon until 1190. In 1296, with the Carta de Foral(1) by D. Dinis and the Treaty of Alcanizes that followed, it becomes a part of the Portuguese territory and also a core piece in the geo-strategic motion of the territory’s defence.
In 1811 this castle was the support for the Portuguese and British troops fighting the third French Invasion, led by General Massena.
Frei Pedro Negro distinguished himself, being the steward of the castle and the responsible for big repairs in 1303.

Sortelha Castle – Sortelha / Sabugal
With an irregular oval urban perimeter, this is a Romanic and Gothic castle with Manuelin intervention. It has four doors, all of them with details of architectonical interest. The castle is located at the top of a granitical hill, not accessible from the south. It was probably built in 1228 and Sortelha was elevated to the category of County's capital during the reign of D. João III, perhaps due to its castle. Sortelha is an “Historical Village”. It owes this category to its castle.

Sequeiros Bridge – Valongo/Sabugal
Fortified bridge over the Côa, it allows the crossing of the river in a slope of great granitic outcrops. These outflops constitute themselves a natural defence. This bridge was probably built around the 13th century and it was a border mark before the highlands were integrated in the national territory. It is sustained by three arcs, the central one being the one with the biggest diameter. The bridge has squared area towers on both sides with paved pavement with continuity on the causeway. It’s a Romanic style bridge.

Castle of Linhares da Beira – Linhares da Beira / Celorico da Beira
This castle was likely founded by the Turdules in 850 bC. After being occupied but Visigoths and Romans, it was destroyed in the 8th Century by the Moors. It was rebuilt by order of Afonso III of Leon and later reconstructed by D. Diniz. In the 17th century, a clock was put on the tower.
This castle is located at the top of a hill in buttress, it has an overview over the Mondego valley. The castle has a Roman-Gothic architecture, irregular area and is made of two walled wards. The westernmost ward corresponds to the Citadel.

Castle of Celorico da Beira– Celorico da Beira
This castle is located at 550 over the Mondego Valley and from there you can see the Trancoso and Guarda’s castles. Conquered from the Moors by D. Afonso Henriques, which gave a Foral to the village, the repairs on the castle were made by the Templars. It was a General Head Quarters for the Portuguese and British troops during the French. This is a Romanic-Gothic castle with a wall of irregular circled outline.

Trancoso Castle– Trancoso
This castle includes the "historical center" of the village, located in a plateaux area, preceded by a small plaza with a cross. The castle was probably built in 1159. Offered twice as a gift from Kings and Princesses, Trancoso and its castle were a weeding dowry of D. Teresa, the mother of the founding king, and later also a dowry for the wedding of D.Dinis with the Queen-Saint (Raínha Santa). It’s a Roman-Gothic style castle.

(1) translator’s note: Carta de Foral or Foral da Vila: declaration by which the king recognised the mentioned populational centre as a town of its own right

• Serra da Estrela Tourism Region

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