Torre de Lapela

Lapela, Portugal, Portugal

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The Torre de Lapela in Lapela, Portugal, is the sole surviving square tower from the medieval Castle of Lapela, positioned downstream from Monção Castle to defend a key Minho River ford near the Spanish border.

Traditionally linked to Afonso Henriques rewarding noble Lourenço Gonçalves de Abreu for his role in the Battle of Valdevez, modern evidence points to construction under King Fernando amid Castilian wars, with Manuel I's 16th-century reinforcements noted in the 1509 Livro das Fortalezas.

 Measuring 10m by 10m and 35m high with 3m-thick ashlar walls and a raised north entrance bearing Portugal's coat of arms, it endured Restoration Wars assaults before demolition in 1706 for Monção's fortress, surviving as a National Monument since 1910.