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introduction history and patrimony nature and leisure culture and tradition maps and routes 3 4 22 30 38 valenÇa 1

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valença is a town from alto minho that belongs to the district of viana do castelo it is limited east by the municipality of monção south by paredes de coura west by vila nova de cerveira and north by river minho and galicia spain and has an area of 117 square kilometres divided in 16 parishes inhabited by around 15 thousand people 2010 located on the left bank of the river minho the historic development of valença is deeply connected with its geographic situation a strategic location at the border between the north of portugal and galicia the fortress of valença ­ the most emblematic of its icons ­ marks its presence on the top of a hill showing the greatness of one of the oldest portuguese settlements whose magnificence is maybe responsible for the first impression we get when we arrive due to its condition of borderland the image of valença cannot be dissociated from its walls and fabulous imaginary of conquests traditions and legends which make history according to the legend of portas do sol after killing two beautiful young princesses a terrible moor prince was transformed into a river and has been trying to get forgiveness for his cruel deeds without success until today but the moors weren t the only ones being enchanted in these lands several peoples lived here and tried to conquer and protect the territory hiding in a space that although not a defensive element anymore still keeps the spirit of the ones who passed by and left their marks valença grew way beyond its walls but its main square considered the most important fortification in the north of the country keeps its liveliness and is today almost exclusively dedicated to tourism and a rich broad and diverse trade with hundreds of establishments inside and outside the walls visit valença s patrimonial treasures and walk through the stoned narrow streets filled with stores bars cafés and restaurants 2 guides valley of minho introduction valenÇa 3

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valenÇa history and patrimony the origins of human settlement in valença do minho as valença s origins are very old and there s a probability that the presence of human communities in this land date since pre-history in fact several archaeological traces found here show us that from very old times this has always been an ideal place for human settlement ­ mainly thanks to the many 4 guides valley of minho marco miliário natural resources available the cave paintings at tapada de ouzão and monte da lage and the paintings near the monte dos fortes made during the bronze age are especially interesting from this point of view because they reveal the importance of shepherding on the mountain chain although with no certainties or scientific agreement regarding the significance of these paintings it is thought they are associated to a religious-symbolic meaning both these two archaeological sites are classified as estate of public interest since 1980 and 1984 respectively near the archaeological sites of tapada de ouzão and monte da lage history and patrimony valenÇa 5

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torre medieval da silva ponte romano-medieval da veiga da mira traces of fortified settlements built in the iron age can be found as well as a remarkable megalithic set ­ all these different elements lead us to believe that the region s hunting richness has certainly contributed to attract and fix communities in valença throughout the centuries and millenniums later we find in valença several traces that date to the time of the roman empire the fact that this was an important location to cross the river minho through the roman road that connected bracara today braga to lucus today lugo probably explains human settlement in this area at that time in 137 b.c it is believed that the roman consul júlio bruto has camped here together with the emperor augustus they started 6 pelourinho do couto de sanfins in verdoejo guides valley of minho defining small fortresses at the time called castelli which had a strategic location over the road ­ one of them shall have been the castellum of valença the roman domination was followed by the suevi and the goths the location near the river minho was once again strategic there was even a royal residency in tui during this period today there still exist in valença traces of this time witnessing the suevi-visigoths dominion the conglomerate would later suffer a strong desertification as consequence of arabic occupation the first invasion shall have happened around the year 716 that forced its inhabitants to spread through nucleus of christian resistance in the north of the iberian peninsula the most powerful arabic invasion took place in almansor in 997 spread to santiago de compostela and destroyed ganfei valença from which only the memory of its foundation remained with the christian reconquest this region was recovered and later integrated in the county of portugal and in the kingdom of portugal afterwards the bridgehead important element for the development of valença history and the clearest origins of the development of valença are intimately connected to the presence of the king d sancho i in the area between the rivers lima and minho at the end of the 12th century history and patrimony valenÇa 7

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praça-forte de valença as a consequence of the annulment of the matrimony between afonso ix of leon and teresa daughter of d sancho i this king decided to start a series of attempts to conquer tui and pontevedra in galicia these military movements have inevitably rekindled old conflicts and the portuguese expansion wishes of galician territory it s in the light of these conflicts between portugal and spain that valença at the time known as contrasta and until then `deserted land gets unseen importance around the year 1200 on the one hand thanks to its strategic location between the minho and the old roman road contrasta was an ideal place to control galician attacks and to plan attempts to pontevedra and tui on the oth8 porta da gabiarra guides valley of minho er hand due to the importance the old roman road got as pilgrimage path to the tomb of saint james where pilgrims and travellers from all over the iberian peninsula met it was probably this group of factors that led the king d sancho i to give away his first foral and to build a permanent defensive structure ­ strengthening a natural border line already established by the river according to records from that time the demarcation of the couto de valença had a strong impact and was made with seriousness and significance it also marks two different development rhythms ­ inside and outside the walls with models of socio-economical and political relationships of their own the interior of the wall could be characterized as an urban space that gathered the most important buildings and services and where the political and military power was located outside the walls there was plain land ideal for agriculture we also refer that similarly to other communities located in borderlines especially risky due to military dangers and therefore less attractive to human settlement d afonso ii gave contrasta a foral on august 15 1217 which contemplated a set of benefits and privileges to its inhabitants ­ such as the exclusive dependence towards the king the exemption of payment of tolls in the whole kingdom home protection among others with this he intended to encourage contrasta s development history and patrimony valenÇa 9

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praca-forte de valença fonte da vila which at the time assumed from a geostrategic point of view a reinforced status in the relations between minho and galicia becoming the main crossing spot between the two regions as consequence of the wars against leon the nucleus of contrasta was partially destroyed in the 13th century 1211/1212 and had to be rebuilt aiming at a reinforcement of the development of contrasta d afonso ii gave it a new foral to renew the privileges given by d sancho i in 1262 contrasta changed its name to valença by demand of d afonso iii in an attempt to symbolically revive the conglomerate s dynamism in the kingdom s urban net besides changing its name the king also demanded a deep reform 10 pedra joanina museu municipal guides valley of minho of the village s military system with walls surrounding the whole settlement although its exact configuration is not known due to the multiple transformations it suffered later today it is still possible to see traces of valença s medieval fortress for example at the gate of the açougue facing west there is still a medieval shield at the closing stone still without the castle engraving finally valença gets a leader and permanent military protection soldiers with crossbows who were in charge of the village and the region s defence against leonese attacks during the following decades and centuries the praça-forte de valença 1 kept on benefitting from privileged attention by political and military authorities due to the geostrategic importance it never lost however it would only be at the end of the 50 s of the 17th century during the harsh years of the restoration war that the first attempts to reinforce the wall of valença one of the most exposed to the spanish attacks took place in 1657 and 1660 there were even attempts to take this fortress the work on the fortress of valença was led by the french miguel lescole who tried to enforce this weakened defensive structure lescole s original project ordered in 1668 and delivered in 1683 ends however not being approved by the war council it would be manuel pinto vilalobos a disciple of the french military engineer who using the majority of his master s plants started the work at the end of 1691 history and patrimony valenÇa 11

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igreja da misericórdia paiol do campo de marte the greatest part of the work would be finished by 1700 the new fortress of valença is divided in two different areas connected by the porta do meio middle gate the `village to the north with the old medieval nucleus more densely inhabited and where the main social equipments were gathered smaller in size and almost building free the coroada 2 sive system of valença is made of 10 bastions and two half-bastions at that time the bastions of lapa esperança and faro were built as well as the paiol do açougue former gunpowder warehouse built in 1715 near the square and the paiol do campo de marte interior characteristics this military work was considered very innovative for the time using the bastion fortification technique at the beginning of the 18th century valença was the most important bridgehead in minho and one of the most important of the whole portuguese borderline the fortress was permanently inhabited by a governor a brigadier who was in charge of the great military protection responsible for the protection not only of valença but also of the surrounding area today when we walk inside the walls we can still see many buildings that witness valença s political and military importance such as the antigo palácio do governador militar da praça built in the 18th century and today home for public services the paços do concelho 5 3 where today is the posto de turismo de valença being worth a visit due to its unique on the south sur rounding both areas is a dense net of bastions ravelins and ditches that ensure the area s isolation and allowed a wide visibility and fire area today when we walk inside the walls of the praça-forte de valença it is still possible to identify these areas very clearly with around 3,5 km of walled perimeter the bastion defen12 porta da coroada guides valley of minho dated from the 14th century 7 this building was later used as jail and town hall today is home of the interesting núcleo museológico municipal municipality s historic evolution history and patrimony valenÇa dedicated to the 13

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paços do concelho igreja da misericórdia e igreja de santa maria dos anjos inside the walls there is also a very important group of churches and chapels from different historical periods which show the fortress importance as main pole of the town of valença these religious monuments are worthy of a visit because for various reasons they are notable examples of the portuguese religious architecture built during the 13th century the igreja santa maria dos anjos -11 or igreja matriz de valença and famous for its romanesque and gothic architecture and the igreja de santo estevão head of the colegiado the igreja do colegiado is specially worthy of a visit where we 14 revelim da coroada guides valley of minho can see elements posterior to the interior s romanesque architecture the opposing choir stalls in the main chapel and the pol chrome sculpted retables dated from the 16th century and the gothic-mudejar episcopal chair from the 15th century this church would later suffer reconstruction work in 1792 in neoclassical style whereas the igreja da misericórdia 11 that shares the churchyard with the igreja 4 de santa maria dos anjos the capela militar do bom jesus and the capela do senhor do encontro on the other hand were built later in the 16th 17th and 18th centuries respectively and present a different architecture essentially with baroque and neoclassical characteristics it s worth watching the small image of nossa senhora do carmo inside a bell jar in the capela do bom jesus that during the 18th and 20th century worked as military chapel exclusively according to alberto pereira de castro nossa senhora do carmo was patron saint of the infantry nº21 and during the peninsula campaigns went with the troops being transported in a soldier s backpack castro 2006:308 with more modern architectural characteristics the pousada de são teotónio also located inside the walls of valença near the baluarte do socorro 12 13 in the extreme north of the bridgehead is a remarka ble example of what is worth knowing being especially interesting due to a successful union with the surrounding environment branded history and patrimony valenÇa 15

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igreja de santo estevão capela militar do bom jesus with a huge historical patrimonial richness this pousada s project was signed by a self-proclaimed modern architect joão andresen who developed it between 1954 and 1962 the year when it finally opened the building of the pousada de são teotónio has several interesting elements using granite and concrete its structure with thick pillars is made of platforms although the hostel s architecture is mainly modern the building presents a few elements of regional minho architecture for example through the use of small wooden nets [that resemble the granaries of minho out on the wind and overlooking the landscape from the top of its pillars alçada e grilo 1999:108 16 muralhas de valença guides valley of minho worth referring is also that all furniture was especially drawn by the architect joão andresen finally and adding to the project s and the construction s quality we also highlight the hostel s magnificent view over the walls of the fortress of valença the river minho and across the river tui galicia made possible by the exterior areas with balconies terraces and gardens and the generous windows that rip the concrete on the ground floor the work on the pousada de são teotónio is certainly one of the few ­ a probably the most relevant ­ modern interventions made inside the bridgehead which since the interventions in the 18th century has only been subjected to a few maintenance conservation and restoration work in march 14 1928 the praça-forte de valença was classified as national monument and so given notoriety to this remarkable patrimonial compound that gathers elements of medieval and modern military architecture creating one of the most important military monuments existing in portugal more recently the municipalityof valença and the ayuntamiento of tui have been gatering efforts for the recognition by unesco of the praça-forte de valença the ponte internacional and the catedral de tui as world heritage history and patrimony valenÇa 17

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convento de ganfei igreja românica do convento de sanfins the roman empire a connection road that goes through valença the remarkable religious patrimony outside the walls of valença do minho but the built patrimony of valença is not only inside its fortress in the municipality there are other elements with significant historical and architectonical value classified as estate of public interest on july 13 1956 the convento the excellent natural conditions and hunting richness in this region has contributed for millenniums for the attraction and settlement of human communities in valença but this was also a central territory in the context of the relations minho ­ galicia mainly thanks to the proximity of tui and santiago de compostela two of the most important religious locations in the iberian peninsula which at least since 18 capela do parque do faro guides valley of minho we highlight the convents of ganfei sanfins and of nossa senhora de mosteiró as some of the most important religious monuments of valença all of them located outside the fortress with wide natural areas that allowed isolation and retirement as well as development of agricultural activities fundamental to the survival of these religious communities survival de ganfei 3 was an important convent of the benedictine order from a religious and political point of view contributing for the assertion of nationality along the centuries it is located around 5 km from valença in a high strategic place with a magnificent view over galicia the convento de sanfins 8 is another beautiful example of ro manesque religious architecture located around 12 km from valença this monastery compound benefits from a beautiful natural surrounding area since 1927 that the church of the convento de sanfins is national monument being considered one of our most important romanesque monuments and one of those that clearly highlight the long lasting galician influence ippar after this classification the church suffered restoration and requalification work between 1930 and 1990 history and patrimony valenÇa 19

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convento de ganfei ponte metálica over rio minho we finally highlight the convento de nossa senhora do mosteiró 12 train stop in segadães only in 1879 did the governments of spain and portugal reached an agreement for the construction of this important connection of double function railway and road opened on march 25 1886 approximately five years after the public announcement of the competition for the construction work launched together by both governments this was a project by the spanish engineer d pelayo mancebo y agreda made of two 400 meter long metal spans one over the other supported by four pillars of granite the railway is on the top span and the lower span is for cars and people as border and confluence area this ponte metálica has for decades been a symbol of a very important link historical economical and social between the north of portugal and galicia which would thus be reinforced by the end of the 19th century nowadays there still are daily international railway connections from porto to the spanish city of vigo on the other hand the ponte metálica would also play a very relevant role in valença s development in the 20th century located in the par ish of cerdal in an isolated place on the mountain with a wide view over the river minho and galicia the interior of the temple differentiates itself from the architecture of the compound made of the igreja and convento de nossa senhora do mosteiró on the inside baroque and neoclassical golden engraving valenças development in modern times the ponte rodo-ferroviária internacional or ponte metálica sobre o rio minho 1 that connects valença and tui is an important sign of the municipality s progress and modernity which saw the 20 igreja de nossa senhora do mosteiró guides valley of minho history and patrimony valenÇa 21

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culture and tradition valença s culture and traditions are deeply associated to the presence of the river minho and the historical patrimonial imposingness and richness of its fortress as space of refuge and protection stage for love stories conquests and complicities the fortress has always reflected the experiences of the people of valença in fact with time the fortress 22 guides valley of minho valenÇa protection functions have become less and less essential and changed gradually yet decisively valença s urban economical and social composition and characteristics at the same time valença s development kept its connection to the river minho the border atmosphere and the inherent economical activities in valença one can still today find two clearly different areas on the one hand the area outside the fortress with a more disperse settlement which originated from more modern and important roads and on the other hand the area inside the walls with two or three-storey simple buildings and narrow roads creating a polygonal web defined by its blocks which still assumes the role of valenças civic centre nowadays almost all these buildings in the historic centre are used culture and tradition valenÇa 23

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rua mouzinho de albuquerque for commerce mainly associated to textiles restaurants and a few public and cultural services câmara municipal posto de turismo núcleo museológico municipal and the museu do bombeiro for example the majority of the buildings keeps its well-preserved old structure in the past decades valença s historical centre has imposed itself as an important border commercial pilgrimage centre just like it happened in the past the fortress of valença is still today a privileged location for all those who live here and come to visit allowing a contact with history and patrimony not only the municipality s but also the country s and the region s as well as to enjoy nature 24 centro de valença guides valley of minho culture and tradition valenÇa worthy of a visit museu rural de taiÃo 10 the museu rural located at the village of taião with ethnographical characteristics focus on popular culture and tradition and on the traditional `savoir faire regarding weaving and taião s traditional costumes among other things opening hours everyday from 1 to 5 pm except tuesdays tel 351 251 825 322 25

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lampreia do rio minho considered one of portugal s biggest outdoors commercial areas the area inside the walls of valença is filled with small stores selling traditional goods certainly worthy of a visit as part of the rota do artesanato dos caminhos de santiago valença is very rich in this art as well one of the most important manifests of its popular culture and of those that were once the traditional crafts of the people of the valley of minho their way of living their values habits and uses during your stay seize the chance to taste the region s traditional dishes namely the `cabrito à sanfins or roasted lamprey or lamb codfish bacalhau is king in valença it s the most emblematic dish with the `bacalhau à são 26 bacalhau à são teotónio guides valley of minho worthy of a visit nÚcleo museolÓgico municipal 7 the núcleo museológico municipal located in the old câmara municipal inside the walls gathers different aspects of valença s historical memory and identity from the thousand year old human presence which includes a replica of the cave paintings of tapada de ozão or even different traces of roman presence in valença through the project and development of valença s praça-forte during the medieval times opening hours tuesday to friday 9 am ­ 5 pm saturday 10 pm ­ 12 pm 2:30 ­ 5:30 pm tel 351 251 806 020 fax 351 251 806 029 nmuseologico@cm-valenca.pt culture and tradition valenÇa 27

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alminhas da coroada at praça-forte teotónio and many other ways to cook it for desert we recommend the borrachinhos of valença or the sopas secas considering that cooking art also shows the richness of one people s habits this will certainly be an experience you will always keep in your memory valença celebrates its municipal holiday on february 18th the evocative date of s teotónio s birthday the first portuguese saint born in the parish of ganfei there are enough motives whether you are an appreciator of the nature wonders or an admirer of our culture and the history that made portugal valença is a place worthy of visit and that will certainly make you come back 28 valença guides valley of minho worthy of a visit museu do bombeiro 16 the museu do bombeiro located in one of the historical buildings of the praça-forte de valença ­ the hospedaria militar later also a fire station ­ pays tribute to the peace soldiers opening hours tuesday to friday 10 ­ 12 pm 2 ­ 5:30 pm saturdays 2 ­ 5:30 pm tel 351 251 809 000 culture and tradition valenÇa 29

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