Description of the attraction
Obidos Castle is considered a true gem among the Portuguese castles of the Middle Ages. The castle sits on a hill with stunning views of the surroundings: vineyards, windmills, and terracotta roofs of local houses are visible.
The name of the city of Obidos comes from the Latin word "oppidum", which means "fortress, fortress town", which explains why Obidos is considered a walled city. Obidos Castle, which we see today, was built in the XII century. During the Roman era, baths and a forum were built on this site (a square that was the focus of political life in this Roman settlement). After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Visigoths came to power in the 5th century. It was they who built a fortress on the site of Roman baths, around which a small settlement of Obidos was formed, which later became a city. In the 8th century, the castle passed into the hands of Muslims, and in the 13th century it was conquered by the Portuguese king Afonso. In 1210, King Afonso II presented the castle and village of Obidos to his wife, Urraca of Castile. The fortress was expanded, then a Manueline castle was built on the territory, which has already been converted into a hotel in our time.
For several centuries, the fortress was a favorite place for monarchs who loved to organize celebrations, celebrations, and even weddings. The castle is often called the queen's castle, as queens lived in it at different times. And in the 16th century, King Dinish presented the castle as a gift to his future wife, Queen Isabella of Aragon. The Lisbon earthquake in 1755 destroyed the palace on the territory of the castle, and after that the castle gradually fell into disrepair.
Today, the castle attracts a huge number of tourists with its battlements, surprisingly preserved to this day. It will also be interesting to walk around the territory, look at the windows, arched passages with medieval bas-reliefs, walk along the fortress wall, observing the picturesque surroundings.
