Attractions and Places To See around Alqueva - Top 17

A historic parish, very old, in 1257, when D. João Peres de Aboim arrived here, the Monastery of Vera Cruz probably already existed. It is the oldest monument in the municipality and owes its fame to the Relic of the Holy Wood, brought by a knight after the Seventh Crusade. Like the vast majority of inland Alentejo villages, it has been losing inhabitants. In 1960, it had over a thousand inhabitants; today, it has less than four hundred.

The "Esteva" (Cistus ladanifer, gum rock rose or cistus rose) covers the mountains and valleys in spring with millions of beautiful, sweet-smelling white flowers. The flower itself is delicate and beautiful, but the evergreen it grows on is tough and shaggy with sticky branches and leaves. It is a plant from the rock rose family (Cistaceae) that grows in dry, rocky places where nothing else wants to grow and can grow up to 2 meters high. The sticky resin is labdanum, a highly aromatic resin. This resin protects the plant from the harsh and dry climate and it also inhibits the growth of competing plants in its environment. Because of this last characteristic you often find entire hills overgrown with Esteva. Esteva grows on acidic, non-calcareous soils, made of shale, granite and quartz. It is a very fast-growing pioneer plant that is a good biological indicator of soil degradation due to, for example, overgrazing or constant fires, as it is one of the first plants to appear in the space where oaks once grew. In the past, charcoal was extracted from the root of the Esteva, which is extremely hard and woody. This wood was also traditionally used to fire bread ovens. It is still great good wood to start a hot fire with. In moist soil it is not so difficult to pry the plants root and all out of the soil. Because this plant is full of resin and oil, it's best to make sure it doesn't grow within at least 50 meters of your home and other buildings.

Moura Castle is a very old fortress, composed of round and square towers, and is the first fortress known to Moura. The Convent of Our Lady of the Assumption was built here, which incorporated the Church of Santiago, the former Moorish mosque, and became the mother church.

Rising above Moura's old town on a limestone plateaux are the ruins of a once grand castle. The medieval Castelo de Moura was built by King Dom Dinis in the 13th century on the site of an earlier Moorish citadel. There is evidence that the site is even older than this suggesting there was originally an Iron Age hill fort here. The medieval castle was a mixture of old and new including the remains of the Moorish castle and a new watchtower, the remains of which can be seen today. One of the original Moorish towers remained; the Salúquia tower, named after princess Salúquia, the daughter of the Muslim governor Abu Hassan. It is said that when the christians reconquered the town she threw herself from the top of this tower. Over subsequent years the castle was further expanded and fortified. During the 16th century the convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção was incorporated into the castle grounds, being built on the site of the earlier Moorish mosque. It is said that the convent was home to the tombs of Pedro and Álvaro Rodrigues who were responsible for the reconquest of Moura from the Moors. The castle was almost destroyed during the Spanish War of Succession under the command of the Duke of Osuna in 1707. Further damage was caused by the 1755 earthquake leaving the Moura Castle in ruins. Today the castle is home to landscaped gardens, a military museum and an archaeological museum. It is also a great viewpoint for the town and surrounding countryside including the nearby Alqueva dam.

The Alqueva Dam, located in the heart of the Alentejo, is one of Europe’s largest dams. Constructed on the Guadiana River and completed in 2002, it creates the Alqueva Reservoir, Western Europe’s largest artificial lake. The dam plays a crucial role in regional irrigation, water supply, and hydroelectric power generation. Additionally, it supports local tourism and wildlife habitats and exemplifies a completely transformational engineering achievement.

Moura Castle dates back to the 13th century, during the Christian rule achieved in 1232 during the reign of King Dinis. During the medieval period, the town suffered several invasions, which ended up destroying the castle with its Muslim walls. It was during the Order of Aviz that a third of the income from the churches of Moura and Serpa was donated to rebuild the castle. A line of watchtowers was built covering the border, of which the Atalia da Cabeça Magra remains. During the reign of King Fernando, in the 14th century, the second walled enclosure began to enclose more of the surrounding area. Between 1805 and 1826, the old rammed earth walls of the castle were used as raw material for the production of saltpeter. The western section of the citadel wall was demolished to make way for the Vista Alegre wine press, an order given by José Pimenta Calça. The castle stands 184 metres above sea level and is built in the form of a citadel measuring 200 x 100 metres. The rectangular floor plan is in the Manueline style and features the tomb of Pedro and Álvaro Rodrigues, the conquerors of Moura from the Muslims in 1166 and protagonists of the Legend of the Town of Moura. In the late 1950s, the government began to intervene, which lasted for around 20 years. Archaeological surveys began in 1981 and restoration work began between 1982 and 1986. In 2002, the castle underwent further interventions, which included landscaping improvements. The Keep is in the Gothic style and is solid in the lower part. It has an octagonal room covered by a ribbed vault with pointed arches, supported by eight columns with slender shafts. During the 19th century, one of the towers was converted into a Clock Tower. Castle Opening Hours: Every day | 09:00 to 17:30 Clock Tower Opening Hours: Every day | 09:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:30

The origins of the founding of the Church-Monastery of Vera Cruz de Marmelar are quite remote, since the current temple was built on previous foundations. The parish of Vera Cruz, previously called Marmelar or at least known as the place of S. Pedro de Marmelar in documents from the 13th century, is a very old and historic town, and this Monument has accompanied its steps over the centuries. According to various studies, a previous Visigothic or Mozarabic temple existed before this construction, of which there are still remains. In 1240, the knights of the Order of the Hospitallers founded the village and promoted the conversion of the Christian building into a monastery. The structure of the temple that has survived to this day generally dates from the Gothic period, although it underwent later works, particularly in the 17th century. The Church of Vera Cruz de Marmelar also went down in history for holding an important relic: a part of the cross on which Jesus Christ was allegedly crucified, the famous relic of the Holy Wood, probably collected in the Battle of Salado, thus making Marmelar one of the four temples in the kingdom where the memory of this glorious battle was evoked (Évora Cathedral, Lisbon Cathedral and Santiago do Cacém Parish Church).

Worth seeing with a great view of the surroundings.