Vinhais Castle

Vinhais Castle developed as part of the medieval reorganisation of Trás-os-Montes and the creation of new towns directly associated with royal authority. An initial attempt to establish this urban centre took place during the reign of Sancho II. In 1253, Afonso III granted Vinhais a charter, and the new town was subsequently consolidated close to an earlier settlement centred on the church of São Facundo. Construction of the fortified town appears to have continued through the second half of the 13th century. By the reign of King Dinis, its defensive system was operational and included an approximately oval circuit of walls, five or six towers and a main gateway flanked by two of them. The castle had no separate citadel. Its keep was incorporated into the defensive enclosure itself, following a pattern characteristic of Gothic military architecture. Its frontier position gave Vinhais considerable importance during medieval conflicts between Portugal and Castile. Between 1369 and 1371, during the reign of Fernando I, the town was occupied by Castilian troops. Further instability followed, and in 1397 the castle governor João Afonso Pimentel sided with Castile. The fortress returned to Portuguese control in 1403. Further works were carried out during the later Middle Ages, including interventions under Afonso V. However, Duarte d'Armas's early 16th-century depiction already shows parts of the fortress in poor condition, including damage to the keep and other towers. Despite the later construction of a barbican and additional defensive towers, the fortress progressively lost its military role. By 1527 the walls were already described as partly ruined, while private buildings increasingly occupied areas alongside the old defences over the following centuries. Preservation became an important issue during the 20th century. In the 1960s, an attempt to demolish the surviving remains met resistance from the local population. Conservation and restoration works subsequently consolidated parts of the surviving fortifications. Today, gates, towers and sections of the medieval walls remain integrated into the urban fabric of Vinhais. The castle has been classified as a National Monument since 1947. In 2018, the scope of the classification was clarified as applying specifically to the surviving defensive structures.