Guimarães Castle

About this place

The castle's origins reach back to the 10th century, when Mumadona Dias ordered defences to protect a monastery. Later rebuilding gave it much of its medieval form. Its towers and central keep help tell the story of the region from which the Portuguese kingdom emerged. The present appearance owes much to later medieval rebuilding, including work around the central keep. Its early foundation and subsequent changes should therefore be understood separately. That distinction helps visitors appreciate the castle both as a symbol of Portugal's beginnings and as a military structure that continued to evolve.