Chaves
The "Keys" to Northern Portugal
"Keys" (as in door keys) are referred to as "Chaves" in Portuguese, and the city of Chaves, lying seven miles from the border with Spain, was for centuries regarded as the key to Portugal in the north.
Chaves on the upper reaches of the river Tamega and due to the rich fertility of the region and its close proximity to Spain and France many battles have been fought over the centuries as competing groups of people tried to secure the area under their control. Chaves has been the battlefield of Celts, Goths, Visigoths, Romans, Moors, Crusaders, the forces of Napoleans and Wellingtons armies. The Museum of the Flaviense Region (Museu da Regiao Flaviense) contains collections of historical items found within the local archeological sites.
It was the Romans who contructed the huge sixteen-arched bridge that spans the river Tamega. The Romans came to the region around 78 AD and named the area "Aquae Flaviae" after the natural springs that the town is famed for. With temperatures reaching up to 73 degrees centigrade the natural springs are some of the warmest in Europe and remains popular for its Spas.
Chaves became one of the northern-most outposts of the Moorish empire until the Portuguese expelled the Moors and took control of the city in 1160. King Joao I gave the town to Nuno Alvares Pereira after his defeat of the Castilians at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385. The old part of the town is built around the ruins of the central tower of the castle built for Nuno Alvares Pereira,designed in the style of the French architect Count de Vauban.
Napoleon invaded the north of Portugal three times, but never attained control of the country. In 1809 Marshal Nicholas Soult arrived in Chaves leaving an occupying force in the town as he moved on to Porto. Its claimed that during this invasion the Portuguese hid their store of wine underground to prevent the French getting their hands on it. A couple of years later, after Napoleons failed third invasion of Portugal in 1810, the locals dug up their bottles of wine and discovered that it had improved with age. This led to the custom of burying the wine (now refered to as "vinho dos mortos" or wine of the dead, for a couple of years.
In 1912 Royalists based in Spain led a failed attack on the city and within the keep (the central tower of the castle) is a museum containing memorablia of this event. The Misericordia, standing on the central square, contains some of the finest azulejos in Portugal, the vast panels of blue and white tiles depicting scenes from the Bible created in the 18th century.
Hotels in towns and cities close to Chaves
Bragança Castle - João Paulo
Hotels in Alijo
Alijo is in the heart of the Douro wine region, offering the visitor the opportunity to take a boatride down the Douro river and observe the great terraces of vines that stretch across this area. Alijo is 50 km from Chaves.....(More)
Hotels in Bragança
Bragança lies admist the mountains that border Spain, offering the visitor breathtaking scenery and the opportunity to see various rare birds such as Griffin and Golden Hawks. Bragança is 60 km from Chaves.....(More)