Castle of Guimarães

Run your hand along the nearest wall. The granite is rough and grey, flecked with tiny glints of mica, and cool even on a warm afternoon. Moss grows in the joints between the blocks. Above you, the battlements cut a jagged line against the sky. Somewhere below, church bells from the old town drift up the slope. You are standing on a hill that many Portuguese people call the cradle of their nation.

This is the Castle of Guimarães, in the north of Portugal. The small hill under your feet is known locally as the Sacred Hill. That name sounds grand for such a modest rise. But the story of this hill is bound up with the story of the whole country. To understand why, we need to go back more than a thousand years, to a time before Portugal existed at all.

In the tenth century, this region was a frontier. A powerful noblewoman named Mumadona Dias held land here. She founded a monastery in the valley below. The monastery needed protection, because these were dangerous years. Raiders came from the south, from the Muslim-ruled lands of the Iberian Peninsula. Raiders also came from the sea, including Norse warriors sailing down the Atlantic coast. So Mumadona ordered a fortified tower on this hill. It was a refuge for the monks and the people who lived around them.

That first fortress was much simpler than what you see today. Picture a tower and a ring of defences, built for survival rather than show. Over the following generations, the settlement between the hill and the monastery grew. Craftsmen, farmers and traders gathered under the protection of the walls. Slowly, a town took shape. The streets you walked through to get here follow some of those very old patterns.

The next great chapter began late in the eleventh century. A French nobleman, Henry of Burgundy, received this territory, called the County of Portugal, from the king of León. Henry married Teresa, a daughter of that king. The couple made Guimarães an important seat of their rule. They strengthened and enlarged the castle, giving it much of the shape it has today. At that time, Portugal was still a county inside a larger kingdom — not yet a country of its own.

Their son was Afonso Henriques. He would become the first king of Portugal. And here is where history and tradition become tangled. Tradition says that Afonso Henriques was born inside these walls, early in the twelfth century. Many people in Guimarães hold this as a point of pride. Some historians, however, argue that he may have been born in another city. The question has never been fully settled. What is certain is that this castle stood at the centre of his early life.

In 1128, a decisive battle took place in the fields near Guimarães. It is known as the Battle of São Mamede. The young Afonso Henriques fought against forces loyal to his own mother, Teresa. He won. After that victory, he took control of the county. In the years that followed, he fought for recognition as king, and Portugal slowly emerged as an independent kingdom. That is why so many Portuguese see this hill as the starting point of their nation.

Now look at the shape of the fortress around you. The walls form an irregular ring that follows the line of the hilltop. Several square towers stand along the circuit. In the middle rises the keep — the tallest and strongest tower, and the last place of defence if the walls fell. Notice how few openings there are. Windows were narrow on purpose. Light mattered far less than safety. This is a castle built for siege, not comfort.

Here is a detail many visitors miss. Look closely at the entrances to the keep. In many medieval castles, the door of the main tower was placed high above the ground. Defenders reached it with a ladder or a wooden walkway that could be pulled away. An enemy who broke through the outer walls would still face a sheer stone face. Take a moment to imagine the courtyard full of people, animals and supplies during an attack, with everyone listening for the sound of the enemy.

If the walkways are open, climb up onto the walls. The view opens in every direction. Red-tiled roofs spread down the slope. Church towers rise between them. Green hills roll away towards the horizon. The historic centre below is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for how well its medieval layout and later buildings have survived. Up here, you can see how the town grew downhill, away from the castle, over many centuries.

Now a second surprise. The castle you see is not exactly the castle of the Middle Ages. Over the centuries, it lost its military role and fell into decay. In the twentieth century, the Portuguese state carried out a large restoration. Restorers rebuilt damaged sections and tidied the walls into the clean, crisp outline you see today. Some historians feel the work made the castle look more perfect than it ever was. So you are looking at medieval stone, but also at a twentieth-century idea of what a medieval castle should look like.

Just beside the castle stands a small, plain church: the Church of São Miguel do Castelo. Its style is Romanesque, the heavy, rounded building style of medieval Europe before the Gothic period. Tradition holds that Afonso Henriques was baptised here. Inside, the floor is covered with old tombstones. A little further down the hill, you will find the large Palace of the Dukes of Braganza, with its tall brick chimneys. And nearby stands a bronze statue of Afonso Henriques, holding his sword and shield.

For the people of Guimarães, this hill is not only a monument. It is part of everyday life. Schoolchildren come here to learn about the founding of their country. Families walk the lawns on weekend afternoons. In 2007, the castle was chosen in a national public vote as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. In 2012, Guimarães served as a European Capital of Culture. Down in the town, a phrase is painted on a section of the old city wall. In Portuguese, it says simply: here Portugal was born.

Before you leave, stand still for a moment in the courtyard. Listen to the wind moving along the battlements. Feel the uneven stones under your feet, worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. As you walk back down the hill, look at the grey granite in the doorways and walls of the town. Much of it is the same stone as this castle. The fortress and the town were made from the same ground — and they have stood together for a thousand years.