Mogadouro is a town in the district of Bragança, which lies near the International Douro Natural Park, the Douro River and the Spanish border. It is 80 km from the district capital and 75 km from Mirandela.

Mogadouro is an ancient settlement and predates the foundation of the Condado Portucalense. The toponym Mogadouro is of Arabic origin – Macaduron. The region is all heir to an ancient history, where you can see the many traces of the presence of these people who have inhabited it since prehistoric times.

Subsequently, the region was occupied by the Romans and later dominated by the Visigoths, until it was conquered by the Muslims. But with the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Portugal took possession of the whole region, still under D. Afonso Henriques, who then gave Mogadouro to the Order of the Knights Templar – this was around 1145.

In 1272, King Afonso III granted the first charter to Mogadouro, which was renewed the following year. Later, in 1512, King Manuel granted a new charter. In 1433, the town of Mogadouro was donated to Álvaro Pires de Távora, and since then it has been linked to the Távoras family. These in turn achieved the title of marquises, given their important and influential role throughout the region.

But it was only after the 16th century that Mogadouro made any significant progress, when the Távoras family, who took charge of the town and its fortress, cooperated in such a way that the town developed immensely. Works such as the foundation of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia and its temple, the bridge between Valverde and Meirinhos or the Remondes bridge between Mogadouro and Macedo de Cavaleiros contributed to this. In addition to churches and chapels.

Today, a visit to the historical centre of this beautiful town, where you can find the Castle, the main church of Romanesque origin, the Church of Misericórdia, the Pillory, the Solar dos Pegados or the Convent of S. Francisco, is indispensable. Also scattered around the municipality are the fortified settlements, the churches of Romanesque origin, such as in Algosinho and Azinhoso, and the pillories, among other traditional constructions.

The municipality lives mainly from agriculture and livestock. Producing cereals and exploiting the almond tree, the vine, the olive tree, the chestnut tree and the cork oak. It raises cattle for meat production – cattle and goat and sheep for the production of wool, milk and also meat.

There are coutos in the municipality where rabbit, hare and partridge hunting can be practised. The secondary sector is dominated mainly by construction and ceramics manufacturing. Tourism is now beginning to gain some relevance in relation to other seasons, as the municipality is part of the Nordeste Transmontano Tourism Region.

Gastronomy is one of the region’s riches, as is the case throughout the Miranda plateau, where the most important dishes are posta mirandesa, bulho com cascas, feijoada à transmontana, marrã, chichos, wild boar, roast kid, grilled lamb chops, game, escabeche river fish, Xis and Cegada soups, sheep’s milk cheeses, honey and, of course, smoked meat.

Mogadouro is part of the itinerary of Almond Blossom, which has its magnificence in the months of February and March.

Besides Portuguese, this region also speaks its own language – Mirandese.

To visit:

• Mogadouro Castle
• Penas Róias Castle
• Medieval Castle (Penedo citadel)
• Oleiros Castle
• Mogadouro Mother Church
• Church of São Martinho do Peso
• Church of Algosinho
• Church of Santa Maria
• Convent of São Francisco
• Chapels of Pereiras and Mouros
• Chapel of Senhor da Fraga
• São Fagundo Chapel Ruins
• Castro Vicente
• Medieval Bridges and Pillories
• Manor House of the Pegados

Festivities and Pilgrimages:

• Almond trees in bloom, in March
• São Mamede festivities in June
• Santa Ana Festivities on the 1st weekend in July
• Nª Sra do Caminho festivities, last weekend in August
• Gorazes Fair, 15 and 16 October