Marvão, Castle

The Castle of Marvão is constituted by an imposing wall, where the typical and monumental picturesque village is enclosed, with a very old hull, and the castle itself, situated at the highest point of the rocky spur, in permanent vigilance over a bordering territory.
D. Afonso Henriques is said to have taken the fortress from the Moors in 1166.
Its excellent strategic position on the border defence line has earned it the attention of numerous monarchs, who have carried out major remodelling works, some of which can still be seen today.
D. Sancho II granted it a charter in 1226 in order to keep this outpost populated and thus protected from the numerous attacks from Spain.
But it was King Dinis who undertook the first major expansion and remodelling works. At that time - 1300 - the keep was built.
Years later, during the War of Restoration, the castle was rebuilt in an architectural language which seems to have been not only of a military nature but also, we might say, aesthetic, evident in the volumetry developed at the time.
Adjoining the Keep, a high interior wall still survives today, which surrounds the terreiro. This structure is still surrounded by a second line of walls, reinforced with turrets and battlements.
The barbican is the beginning of an extensive defensive line that crowns the hill and surrounds and protects the town.