The Castle of Bragança located in the parish of Santa Maria, in the historical center of the city of Bragança, is one of the most important and well preserved Portuguese castles. From the top of its walls you can see the mountain ranges of Montesinho and Sanabria (to the north), Rebordões (to the northeast) and Nogueira (to the west).D. Sancho I (1185-1211) endowed the town with the first walled fence in 1188.
Under the reign of D. Dinis (1279-1325), it was determined to erect a second walled perimeter in 1293.
Already under the reign of D. Fernando (1367-1383), he received works of improvement. At this stage, when this sovereign was involved in the succession dispute of Castile, Bragança was surrounded and conquered by the Castilian troops, returning to the Portuguese possession only by means of the signing of the Treaty of Alcoutim (1371). The keep was built around 1439.
The castle is of oval plan and set in the quota of 700 meters above sea level, it is constituted by a fence ameada with a perimeter of 660 meters, reinforced by fifteen cubes. The walls, with an average thickness of two meters, cover the historic center of the city, occupying an area of about three hectares, and delimited four spaces, guided by two road axes, whose main is the old street of the Citadel. In its interior the visitor can appreciate the buildings of the Domus Municipalis (unique example in the country of the Romanesque civil architecture and that is believed to have had, originally, the functions of tanker). In this fence, three doors are torn (two under the invocation of St. Anthony and the Door of the Sun, to the East) and two shutters (the Door of Betrayal and the Postigo of the King's Well).
The main door of Santo António, in a perfect back arc, between two turrets, is defended by a barbican, in which is located the Door of the Village, in ogival arc. In the interior, in the square of arms, it is possible to observe the adaptations of the accesses and the platforms destined to the artillery.
In the North sector, where the installations of Battalion of Hunters # 3 were erected, stands the Tower of Menagem, of square plan, with 17 meters of width, rising to 34 meters of height, attached to the fence. In shale masonry, abundant rock in the region, in the wedges and openings granite was used. Its interior, where the dungeon and the cistern are, is divided in two floors, with rooms covered by vaults of edge, reinforced by arches torais. At first a drawbridge reached the door in a higher plane, now replaced by an external staircase, masonry attached to the north face of its armor. In the South face, half height of the tower, is a stone of arms with the coat of arms of the House of Avis. The top is crowned by cross-sectional battlements, countertops with kills, with four cylindrical guards at the vertices, dominating, on the East face and the South face, two mainelated Gothic windows. A fence, reinforced by seven cubes (three to the east, three to the west and one to the south) of circular plan, defend the exterior of the tower, delimiting an approximately rectangular space.
Also on the north side of the outer fence, next to one of the basins, stands the so-called Torre da Princesa, former Paço do Alcaide. Building of residential characteristics (torre-alcáçova), its existence is surrounded by stories, one of the most popular the legend of the Moorish princess. In historical times, it is said that it was inhabited by D. Sancha, sister of D. Afonso Henriques, as a refuge in the face of marital infidelities practiced by her husband Fernão Mendes. In her, was also imprisoned D. Leonor, wife of the fourth Duke of Braganza, D. Jaime, accused (unjustly) of adultery by the own husband. The duke ended up murdering his wife, in the Paço Ducal of Vila Viçosa, stabbing, on November 2, 1512.
In the south sector, a projection of quadrangular plant is closed by Poço del'Rei, structure XVIII with the function of defense of a cistern.
