Castelo Melhor Castle

Castelo Melhor Castle is one of the best examples of a secondary medieval fortress, built in one of the most peripheral areas of the peninsular kingdoms. Consisting of a circular walled perimeter, surrounding the top of a hill that stands out in the landscape, inside the enclosure there are traces of a settlement dating back to the Middle Ages (12th-13th century), as well as the defensive structures that protected it. The original work is from Leon and dates back to the early 13th century, a time of intense fortification of the Riba-Côa line, an area constantly disputed by the Portuguese and Castilian monarchs. It was in this context that Afonso VII, in 1209 or 1210, ordered the construction of the fortress, giving it a charter at the same time. Less than a century later, with the Treaty of Alcanices (1297), Castelo Melhor passed to the Portuguese crown and from then on was part of the national border.