Castle of Arronches

Arronches, Portugal, Portugal

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Castle of Arronches in Arronches, Portugal, was first conquered from the Moors in 1166 by forces of King Afonso Henriques, changing hands repeatedly until its definitive Christian reconquest in 1242 by D. Paio Peres Correia, with King Afonso III issuing the first charter in 1255.

King Dinis incorporated it into Crown lands in 1310 and ordered the castle's reconstruction, while it saw recaptures like Nuno Álvares Pereira's in 1384 and roles in the 1640 Restoration War, including a 1663 powder magazine explosion under Spanish occupation.

Featuring medieval walls, bulwarks like those of Elvas Gate and Santo António, towers, and moats adapted for artillery defense near the Spanish border, its remnants—consolidated in 20th-century projects—blend into the urban fabric overlooking the Guadiana frontier.