Description of the attraction
Sure Castle is located in the small town of the same name, about twenty kilometers north of the city of Pombal and, unusually, is not built on a hill, like many castles in Portugal, but on a flat area on the banks of the river. It is believed that the castle was built to protect the monastery, which was located nearby, or the road to the city of Coimbra. Sure Castle is part of a line of defensive structures made up of other castles whose function was to protect Coimbra from enemy attacks.
Presumably the castle was built in the 11th century. However, there is a hypothesis that earlier, back in the 5th-6th centuries, there was a Roman settlement on this place, and the first building was an observation tower. The castle did not last long, and was destroyed during the battle with the Moors. A century later, the site on which the castle stood was donated to Count Fernando Perez de Trava, who was engaged in the restoration of the castle. In the twentieth century, the castle was transferred to the city council of the city of Sura. Despite the rather complicated process of paperwork regarding the ownership of the castle, this architectural and historical monument has become the property of the city.
The architecture of the castle combines several styles: medieval Romanesque, Gothic and Manueline style. The facade of the Sure castle is quite simple, and the castle itself is small. Nowadays, unfortunately, only ruins remain of the castle, only the walls with four towers located at the corners, a Mozarabian-style window and the Visigoth gate have survived.
Since 1949, Sure Castle has been included in the list of monuments of national importance.
