Almeida is a small town in central Portugal, a few kilometres from the Spanish border, in the district of Guarda, about 45 kilometres north-east of the district capital. The municipality has about 6,000 inhabitants. It is known for its extraordinary star-shaped fortifications, one of Europe's finest bastioned fortresses, and is one of the twelve Historic Villages of Portugal (Aldeias Históricas).
A frontier story
Almeida's history is one of disputes between Portugal and Spain. Of Moorish origin, as its name suggests, it was long Castilian land until the Treaty of Alcañices of 1297 assigned it permanently to Portugal, without ending the fighting. After independence was restored in 1640, the Portuguese began building a modern stronghold around the old medieval castle, designed according to the principles of French military engineering of the time. In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, Almeida was besieged and briefly taken by the Spanish.
The most dramatic episode came during the Napoleonic Wars. In August 1810, during the siege by the French army under Marshal Masséna, a shell blew up the powder magazine kept in the castle: the explosion destroyed the castle and part of the town, killing hundreds of people, and the Anglo-Portuguese garrison had to surrender. The following year Wellington's troops retook the fortress.
The fortifications
The stronghold follows the model of "Vauban-style" forts, named after the famous French engineer: a star-shaped hexagon with six bastions and six ravelins, twelve points in all, surrounded by moats and earthworks, with a perimeter of about two and a half kilometres. This type of fortress was invented to withstand artillery, which had made tall medieval walls obsolete, and for centuries it changed the relationship between towns and the surrounding countryside.
The walls are still perfectly preserved and, especially in spring, when grass and flowers cover the earthworks, they make a striking sight. You enter the town over a bridge and through monumental double gates, such as the Portas de São Francisco, with long vaulted passages. A walk along the bastions gives open views over the countryside towards Spain.
What to see inside
The Casamatas, the large bomb-proof chambers under the bastions, now house the Military History Museum, telling the story of the fortress and its sieges. In the town you can see the ruins of the castle destroyed in 1810, the main square, the seventeenth-century Misericórdia church, the old barracks quarter and granite houses, often with noble coats of arms. Every two years in August, a large historical re-enactment recalls the Napoleonic siege.
Surroundings
The area is rich in fortified villages. Castelo Rodrigo, in the municipality of Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, is another of the historic villages, with the ruined palace of Cristóvão de Moura and a spectacular view. Pinhel, the "falcon city", keeps a fourteenth-century castle of King Dinis and is known for its wines. Castelo Mendo, on a spur above the Côa river, is a small walled medieval village with fine walks. Further north lies the Côa valley, with prehistoric rock art listed by UNESCO.
Almeida is reached by car: from the A25 motorway, which links Aveiro and Viseu with the Spanish border, take the exit towards Vilar Formoso. The nearest railway station is Vilar Formoso, on the line to Spain.