Description of the attraction
In the north-east of Portugal, between Alto Minho and Tras-us-Montes, the Serra di Pineda and Serra de Geres mountain ranges form the only protected area in Portugal that is classified as a National Park.
The Gerês National Park, or the park is also called simply Gerês, attracts visitors with its picturesque landscapes and diverse flora and fauna. On the territory of the park there are medieval castles (in Castro Laboreiro and Lindoso), it will also be interesting to look at the ruins of the 12th century monastery in Pitois dash Juniyash and learn a lot of interesting things about ancient values and traditions. The open-air museum in Vilarinho das Furnas, a village that was flooded during the construction of a dam in 1971, is worth visiting.
It is believed that the first human settlements near the Serra de Geres mountain range appeared about 6 thousand years BC, as evidenced by the found dolmens and other megalithic tombstones. A Roman road ran through the northern part of the country, connecting the Roman cities of Astorga and Brakkara Augusta; it has been fragmentarily preserved to this day. The settlement of Serra de Geres began in the 12th century, and in the 16th century, with the emergence of crops such as maize, legumes and potatoes, which were brought from America, the settlements began to grow more intensively.
The national park was created in May 1971. The total area of the park is 702, 9 sq. Km, of which 194, 38 sq. Km are private property, 52, 75 sq. Km are owned by the state, and the remaining 455 sq. Km are open to tourists. The park is shaped like a giant amphitheater and is surrounded by mountain ranges that form a barrier between the plains in the west and the plateau in the east. The granite rocks of the mountains were formed about 310 million years ago. There is an oak forest in the park, among which there are rare species of these trees, a riparian forest. Portuguese laurels, strawberry trees, birches grow. Among the forest dwellers, there are brown bears, mountain goats and many other species of animals.
