Portugal Castle of Guimares

The old Romanesque castle was built in the mid-10th century at the orders of the Galician countess Mumadona to protect the town and the monastery from attacks by the Normans and Arabs. Henry of Burgundy's son, the future King Alfonso I, was born here in 1109. After defeating the Arabs and proclaiming the Kingdom of Portugal, an area between the Minho and Tagus rivers, he made Guimarães the first capital of Portugal in 1140. The keep (Torre de Menagem) is 27 metres high. The castle complex is considered one of the best-preserved Romanesque fortresses in Portugal.