Palmela Doorway
This old gateway may be found in the courtyard of the Castle of Palmela in Central West of Portugal.
This old gateway may be found in the courtyard of the Castle of Palmela in Central West of Portugal.
Palmela Castle (Castelo de Palmela), in the small town wine-producing town of Palmela, is one of Portugal's most pretty castles. Perched on a hill, there are superb views out over the wine terraces and surrounding countryside.
The area has a history of settlement from the Neolithic Period on first by the Romans, then Visigoths and Moors. The original Moorish fortress built some time in the 8th or 9th century was expanded after the Reconquest of the area by Christian knights.
The forces of Afonso Henriques (1112-1185) took the castle in 1147, the same year as the reconquest of Lisbon, Sintra and Almada.
However the area seesawed between Christian and Muslim control until 1165.
