Apr 28 2008
Alcoutim Castle and Archaeological Museum
The Alcoutim Castle is located at the Alcoutim village in Algarve where it sits on a hill and overlooking the village. This castle is also known as the Castelo de Alcoutim. This is a fourteenth century castle that also located on the western part of the Guadiana River. The Guadiana River is between the border of Spain and Portugal. On the opposite side of the river is the Spanish town, Sao Lucas do Guadiania which also has a castle ruin on its site. The castle was built before to control the passage of the river. There were numerous buildings in the interior of the castle that was built against its walls but none of the buildings have survived through the years. This castle has been rebuilt many times and there wasn’t much left of the Moorish architecture of the castle. In 1240, King Sancho II took over the castle and King Dinis in 1304 reconstructed it. And by 1371 the peace treaty of the Fernandine War was signed by the Portuguese King Fernando and the Castilian King Henrique. The last two reconstruction of the castle was made during the reign of King Manuel in 1495-1521 and after the Restauracao wars in 1640-1688.
Inside this Alcoutim Castle is the Archaeological Museum where it is home of some artefacts that are from 5000 B.C. Some of the artefacts are from the Neolithic to Modern times and some are from the Roman, Visigothic and also Christian and Islamic periods. There are also exhibits in the castle; these artworks are from some local artists. You can find the artworks at the Castle’s Gallery and the Crafts House. The museum is open everyday from nine thirty in the morning until five thirty in the afternoon and children who are not below fifteen years old can get in the museum for free.