Location: Braganca, Northern Portugal

Bragança, too often forgotten due to its distance from the decision-making centres, will be impossible to forget, once visited. From the Pousada de Bragança - São Bartolomeu, on top of a hill of the Nogueira montain range, you have a superb view over this districts capital city. Within the walls of the former castle, Bragança is one of the most interesting medieval cities of Portugal. The Pousada perfectly combines its architecture, decoration and gastronomy with the regional culture.

Accommodation: The Pousada has 28 rooms, 5 are doubles and the rest are twins. All rooms have a balcony with view to the pool and to the walls of the Bragança Castle . All the rooms are large and have a decoration adapted to the Pousada´s surroundings, with simple and functional furniture with high quality. One of the rooms has conditions for disabled people and two are for non smokers. All the rooms are equipped with air conditioning / heating, mini-bar, telephone, cable TV and satelite, hair drier, bathing gowns, internet in 3 rooms and wireless in all the others.

Pousada History: Located on the hill of the same name, recently refurbished and enlarged, the Pousada de S. Bartolomeu, which enjoys an exceptional view over the castle of the city of Braganca. This CastIe dates back to the 17th century, to the time when D. Sancho gave the city its charter. Later, D. Femando gave it to one of his sisters-in-Iaw as marriage dowry. It came to the definitive possession of the House of Braganca when it was given as a dukedom to the illegitimate son of D. Joao l. It is an ideal place for shooting enthusiastic (wild boor, hare, partridge etc.) as well as for tourists in general who throughout the north-eastern area beyond the mountains, may discover a wealth off fauna and flora. The Pousada de S. Bartolomeu enjoys a sensational view which stretches across the plateau lying beyond the mountains. After a visit to the city sites and monuments, a magnificent evening can be enjoyed from the pool.

History of Bragança: In Bragança, with its strategic position, has token place many constructions of fortresses before Fernão Mendes, brother in law of D. Afonso Henriques, demanded the creation of the city walls in 1130. It has been Brigantia. In its interior is the castle of D. Sancho I, established in 1187, with donjon and vigil towers, which have many tragic legends that say they were the refuge of Dona Sancha, the unhappy wife of Fernão Mendes. The legends also say that other wives were kept prisoners in those towers. Between the city walls, it's also the pentagonal Domus Municipalis from the 17th century, that is the unique model still remaining of the Romanic civil architecture in Portugal . This city gave its name to the last Portuguese royal dynasty, the illegitimate son of D. João I, the 1st duke of Bragança, in 1442.