Castelo Branco (), officially the City of Castelo Branco (), is an inland city and municipality in Central

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. It has 34,455 inhabitants in its urban area (2021) and is the seat of the district of the same name. The municipality, with 52,272 inhabitants, is made up of 19 freguesias (civil parishes) spread through , making it the 3rd largest in Portugal by total land area. The municipality is bounded in the north by Fundão, in the east by

Idanha-a-Nova Idanha-a-Nova ( ), officially the Town of Idanha-a-Nova (), is a town and municipality in the district of Castelo Branco, in east-central Portugal. A border municipality with Spain, the population of the municipality in 2011 was 9,716, in an area ...

, in the south by Spain, in the southwest by

Vila Velha de Ródão Vila Velha de Ródão () is a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 3,521,Proença-a-Nova Proença-a-Nova (), officially the Town of Proença-a-Nova (), is a municipality in the district of Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 8,314, in an area of 395.40 km2. The present mayor is João Lobo. The municipal holid ...

and Oleiros.

History

Castelo Branco gets its name from the prior existence of a Luso-Roman

castrum ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

or fortified settlement called Castra Leuca, on the summit of the hill of Colina da Cardosa. The population grew on the slopes of this hill. Little is known of the history before 1182. There is, nevertheless, a document, from this date, mentioning the donation to the

Templars The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

of a piece of land called Vila Franca da Cardosa, by a noble Fernandes Sanches. In 1213 it obtained a foral granting it autonomy and the name Castel-Branco appears for the first time.

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III (; born Lotario dei Conti di Segni; 22 February 1161 – 16 July 1216) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 until his death on 16 July 1216. Pope Innocent was one of the most power ...

confirmed this in 1215 giving it the name of Castelo Branco. It was around this time that the Templar Knights built the walls and the castle. Historically, Castelo Branco was home to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

community, until its

forced conversion Forced conversion is the adoption of a religion or irreligion under duress. Someone who has been forced to convert to a different religion or irreligion may continue, covertly, to adhere to the beliefs and practices which were originally held, w ...

. After 1496, Castelo Branco became an important center for

marranos ''Marranos'' is a term for Spanish and Portuguese Jews, as well as Navarrese jews, who converted to Christianity, either voluntarily or by Spanish or Portuguese royal coercion, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, but who continued t ...

, Jews who had converted to Christianity publicly, but still practiced Judaism secretly. These practiced continued for hundreds of years, until the 1920s, when many descendants of Marranos returned to practicing Judaism openly and more traditionally. The local museum in Castelo Branco contains a stone with a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

inscription from the synagogue of Belmonte, dated to the year 1297. In 1510 a new foral was conceded by

Manuel I Manuel I may refer to: *Manuel I Komnenos Manuel I Komnenos (; 28 November 1118 – 24 September 1180), Latinized as Comnenus, also called Porphyrogenitus (; " born in the purple"), was a Byzantine emperor of the 12th century who reigned ov ...

and in 1642 the town acquired the status of Vila de Castelo Branco. In 1771 Castelo Branco became a city and a bishopric (see below) until 1881. Castelo Branco April 2015-1a

In 1858 a telegraph line was opened between

Abrantes Abrantes () is a concelho, municipality in the central Médio Tejo Subregion, Médio Tejo subregion of Portugal. The population was 39,325, in an area of . The municipality includes several parishes divided by the Tagus River, which runs through ...

and Castelo Branco and in 1860 the city received its first public lighting. In 1959 it became capital of the district of the same name.

Ecclesiastical history

Pope

Clement XIV Pope Clement XIV (; ; 31 October 1705 – 22 September 1774), born Giovanni Vincenzo Antonio Ganganelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 May 1769 to his death in September 1774. At the time of his elec ...

created the diocese of Castelo Branco on 1771-06-07. On 1881-09-30 it was suppressed and its territory merged into the then

Diocese of Portalegre The Diocese of Portalegre–Castelo Branco () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Portugal. It has carried this name since 1956, when the historical diocese of Portalegre was renamed. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lisbon ...

, which adopted its title, becoming the present

Diocese of Portalegre-Castelo Branco The Diocese of Portalegre–Castelo Branco () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic church in Portugal. It has carried this name since 1956, when the historical diocese of Portalegre was renamed. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lisbon ...

, and made the former

Cathedral of Castelo Branco The (Co-)Cathedral of Castelo Branco or Church of Saint Michael (archangel) () is a Roman Catholic Latin Co-cathedral and former cathedral in Castelo Branco, Portugal, Castelo Branco, Portugal. It is the second official seat of the Catholic Dioc ...

, dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel, its

Co-cathedral A co-cathedral is a cathedral church which shares the function of being a bishop's seat, or ''cathedra'', with another cathedral, often in another city (usually a former see, anchor city of the metropolitan area or the civil capital). Instances o ...

. It has had the following residential Bishops: * José de Jesus Maria Caetano,

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...

(O.P.) (1771 – death 1782-07-13) * Vicente Ferreira da Rocha, O.P. (1782-12-16 – death 1814-08-25) *

Bishop-elect A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

Patrício da Silva,

Augustinian Order Augustinians are members of several religious orders that follow the Rule of Saint Augustine, written about 400 A.D. by Augustine of Hippo. There are two distinct types of Augustinians in Catholic religious orders dating back to the 12th–13th ...

(O.E.S.A.) (1818 – 1819-05-03), later Metropolitan Archbishop of

Évora Évora ( , ), officially the Very Noble and Ever Loyal City of Évora (), is a city and a municipalities of Portugal, municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of . It is the historic capital of the Alentejo reg ...

(Portugal) ( 819-05-031820-02-21 – 1826-03-13), created

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

with no Title assigned (1824-09-27 – 1840-01-03), promoted Patriarch of Lisboa (Portugal) (1826-03-13 – death 1840-01-03) * Joaquim José de Miranda Coutinho (1819-05-03 – death 1831-04-06) * Guilherme Henriques de Carvalho (1846 – death 1857-11-15), also

Apostolic Administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Portalegre (Portugal) (1846 – 1857-11-15), created

of S. Maria sopra Minerva (1854-11-30 – 1857-11-15); previously Bishop of

Leiria Leiria () is a city and municipality in the Central Region, Portugal, Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, after Coimbra, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat o ...

(Portugal) (

840 __NOTOC__ Year 840 (Roman numerals, DCCCXL) was a leap year starting on Thursday in the Julian calendar, the 840th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 840th year of the 1st millennium, the 40th year of the 9th cen ...

1843-04-03 – 1845-11-24), Patriarch of

Lisboa Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

(Portugal) (1845-11-24 – 1857-11-15)

Places of interest

The most important monument in Castelo Branco is the Jardim do Paço Episcopal (Garden of the Episcopal Palace). It is one of the most beautiful

Baroque garden The Baroque garden was a style of garden based upon symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. The style originated in the late-16th century in Italy, in the gardens of the Vatican and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome and in the ...

s in Portugal and contains statues of allegories, kings and zodiacal signs, arranged around ponds, terraces and staircases. File:Nt-se-castelobranco.jpg, Co-cathedral St.Michael File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 04.jpg, City's Park File:Jardim_do_Paço Episcopal.jpg, City's Garden File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 02.jpg, Museum "Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior"

Civil parishes

Administratively, the municipality is divided into 19 civil parishes ('' freguesias''): *

Alcains Alcains is a List of parishes of Portugal, civil parish in the Municipalities of Portugal, municipality of Castelo Branco Municipality, Castelo Branco in Portugal. The population in 2021 was 4,615, in an area of 36.94 km². Alcains is located ...

* Almaceda * Benquerenças * * Cebolais de Cima e Retaxo * * * Freixial do Campo e Juncal do Campo * Lardosa * Louriçal do Campo * Malpica do Tejo * Monforte da Beira * Ninho do Açor e Sobral do Campo * Póvoa de Rio de Moinhos e Cafede * Salgueiro do Campo * Santo André das Tojeiras * São Vicente da Beira * Sarzedas * Tinalhas

Climate

Castelo Branco has a hot-summer

mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

. Its summers are among the hottest of Portugal, influenced by its inland position. Winters are mild with cool nights, with an average of 5 days with frost per year. Inland areas further south in the country have hotter temperature extremes, although averages are very similar. There is somewhat of a

seasonal lag Seasonal lag is the phenomenon whereby the date of maximum average air temperature at a geographical location on a planet is delayed until some time after the date of maximum daylight (i.e. the summer solstice). This also applies to the minimum ...

in summer since September is significantly warmer than May in spite of less daylight. Winter temperatures are more consistent with the daylight cycle, since temperatures drop sharply in autumn months.

Economy

The city is home to ''Centauro'', a company which produces industrial coolers, refrigerators and freezers. The Portuguese subsidiary of

Danone Danone S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, multinational food-products corporation based in Paris. It was founded in 1919 in Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. It is listed on Euronext Paris, where it is a component of the CAC 40 stock mark ...

has a factory in Castelo Branco which produces Danone's dairy products for the entire

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

. The

district of Castelo Branco Castelo Branco District ( ) is located in Central Portugal. Its capital is Castelo Branco, which is now also its most populous city, overtaking Covilhã, which was once the largest city, in the late 2010s. It has an area of (4th largest in Por ...

is also famed for the Castelo Branco cheese. Delphi Packard is a major factory and the principal employer, with more than 1000 workers. The Factory makes automobile component for the most important automobile constructors like Ferrari. Shopping malls in Castelo Branco (Alegro and Fórum) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 08.jpg, Alegro shopping mall (South view) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 11.jpg, Fórum shopping mall in Castelo Branco (East view) File:15-DEZ-2008 C.BRANCO 14.jpg, Fórum shopping mall in Castelo Branco city (North inside view)

Education

Castelo Branco is home to the Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, a state-run

polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...

institute of

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

, comprising schools of agriculture, technology, management, education, art and health.

Transportation

Railways: Castelo Branco is the principal station located some up the Beira Baixa Railway Line from

Entroncamento Entroncamento () is a Portuguese municipality in district of Santarém in the Médio Tejo Subregion (''Middle Tagus'') of the Centro Region. The population in 2011 was 20,206, in an area of 13.73 km2. Situated in the Ribatejo, it benefits f ...

Guarda Guarda may refer to: * Guarda, Portugal, city in Portugal * Guarda District, the district containing that city * Roman Catholic Diocese of Guarda, Portugal, the diocese containing that city * Guarda, Switzerland, municipality in Grisons, Switzerlan ...

. It runs via

, Rodão, Castelo Branco and Fundão with services currently terminating at

Covilhã Covilhã (), officially Covilhã City (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in the Centro, Portugal, Centro region, Portugal. The city proper had 33,691 inhabitants in 2021. The municipality population in 2021 was 46,455 in an area of . It is ...

some short of Guarda. Rail services are operated by ''CP -

Comboios de Portugal CP — Comboios de Portugal, EPE (; ) is a state-owned company which operates passenger trains in Portugal. Prior to June 2009, CP stood for Caminhos de Ferro Portugueses (English: ''Portuguese Railways'') although the company has been using it ...

'' (Portuguese Trains) and consist of three stopping trains (Regionais) and three fast trains (Intercidades) per day from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

via Entroncamento. The fast trains take less than 3hours to reach Castelo Branco from

Santa Apolonia and Lisbon Oriente main stations. Stopping trains are considerably slower. From Entroncamento, the route branches off the Lisbon to Porto main line onto the Beira Baixa line following the mighty Tagus river crossing it twice on impressively long bridges. From

a series of reservoirs come into view. For lengthy stretches the single track clings to the NW flanks of the reservoirs providing exhilarating forested views as you speed along the waterside. The services are operated by comfortable and purposeful 'Iberian Gauge' (5ft6in) 25 kV electric multiple units. After passing through some deep gorges into Rodao station the line then heads north away from the river and on to Castelo Branco and finally Covilhã. From

northwards to Guarda trains were operated by more leisurely diesel motorcars. This scenic stretch of mountainous rural line provides the strategic last leg of the Beira Baixa Railway linking it to

via Belmonte. However, in recent years it has been closed for modernisation and electrification. The partially completed works, originally due for completion in 2011, are sadly still on hold due to serious funding issues associated with the economy. This inconveniently cuts off otherwise direct rail options from Castelo Branco to destinations north of Covilhã.

Notable people

Amatus Lusitanus João Rodrigues de Castelo Branco, better known as Amato Lusitano and Amatus Lusitanus (1511–1568), was a notable Portuguese Jewish physician of the 16th century. Like Herophilus, Galen, Ibn al-Nafis, Michael Servetus, Realdo Colombo and ...

(1511–1568), a

physician, an early discoverer of the circulation of the blood *

Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco (1566–1619) was a Portuguese explorer and colonial administrator. He is noted as the founder of the city of Belém, capital of Pará, Brazil, on 12 January 1616. Caldeira served as the first Governor General ( ...

(1566–1619), a Captain-major, founded

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...

, capital of

Pará Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...

in Brazil in 1616. *

Elijah Montalto Elijah Montalto (1567 – 1616) was a Marrano physician and polemicist from Paris who became the personal physician of Maria de Medici. He had been reared as a Christian in Portugal and openly returned to Judaism on settling in Venice. His ''Suita ...

(1567-1616), Jewish physician at the French royal court, author of works on vision and brain diseases *

Manuel Dias the Younger Manuel Dias the Younger (1574– 4 March 1659). was a Portuguese Jesuit missionary. Name Manuel Dias the Younger () acquired his epithet to distinguish him from Manuel Dias the Elder (–1639). He is also known as Emanuel or Emmanuel Diaz. H ...

(1574–1659), a Jesuit missionary to China where he introduced the

telescope A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, Absorption (electromagnetic radiation), absorption, or Reflection (physics), reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally, it was an optical instrument using len ...

José Ramos Preto José Ramos Preto (23 October 1870 – 7 January 1949) was a Portuguese jurist and politician during the Portuguese First Republic. Among other posts, he served as civil governor, senator, minister and president of the Ministry (Prime Minister) ...

(1871–1949), a Portuguese jurist and politician, held high office in 1920 *

José Hipólito Raposo José Hipólito Raposo (13 February 1885 – 26 August 1953) was a Portugal, Portuguese politician, writer, lawyer and historian born in Castelo Branco Municipality, São Vicente da Beira. Integralism He was educated at the University of Coi ...

(1885–1953), politician, writer, lawyer and historian; co-founded ''

Integralismo Lusitano ''Integralismo Lusitano'' (English: "Lusitanian Integralism") was a Portugal, Portuguese integralism, integralist political movement founded in Coimbra in 1914 that advocated Traditionalist conservatism, traditionalism but not conservatism. I ...

''
Dr. José Lopes Dias
(1900-1976), physician, writer, historian and philanthropist, founder o
ESALD
an

* Eugénia Lima, (Wiki PT) (1926—2014), a famous Portuguese accordionist * António Baltasar Marcelino (1930–2013), Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Aveiro The Diocese of Aveiro () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It has existed since 1938 when the historical dioceses of Coimbra, Porto, and Viseu were combined. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Braga The Archd ...

. *

Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez Maria Adelaide Dias Coelho Aboim Inglez ( Castelo Branco, 1932Lisbon, 2008) was a Portuguese politician and communist and anti-fascist revolutionary, and a militant of the Portuguese Communist Party. She was arrested twice for political motives, ...

(1932–2008), a PCP activist who opposed the '' Estado Novo'' regime *

António Ramalho Eanes António dos Santos Ramalho Eanes (born 25 January 1935) is a Portuguese general and politician who was the 16th president of Portugal from 1976 to 1986. Background Born at Alcains, Castelo Branco, he is the son of Manuel dos Santos Eanes, ...

(born in

1935), general and politician, 16th President of Portugal, 1976-1986. * Norton (formed 2002), and indie, pop, alternative rock band

Sport

Nuno Rolão Nuno Filipe Sousa Rolão Dias Santos (born 24 September 1976 in Castelo Branco, Portugal, Castelo Branco) is a Portugal, Portuguese retired professional Association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, ...

(born 1976), a retired footballer with 459 club caps * Ana Hormigo (born 1981), an extra-lightweight judoka, competed at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

* Dani Matos (born 1983), a footballer with over 300 club caps. * João Afonso (born 1990), a footballer with over 320 club caps

References

Sources and external links

Municipality official website

Photos from Castelo Branco

* ttp://arquivo.pt/wayback/20070926223313/http%3A//www.anmp.pt/munp/mun/mun101w3.php?cod%3DM6000/ Statistical Information about the Municipality
Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco

{{authority control Cities in Portugal Populated places in Castelo Branco District Municipalities of Castelo Branco District