Video about the village and the castle of Castro Laboreiro, in the municipality of Melgaço, located inside the Peneda-Gerês National Park. It stands in the Laboreiro Plateau, with an average altitude of more than 3280 feet, making it a place full of beauty, but also challenges for the lives of human communities.
The severity of the mountain winter led the populations to have two homes: one in the "brandas", communities located at higher altitudes and where there is more pasture, and the other in the "inverneiras", located in the more protected valleys and where people and animals moved in December.
On a hill south of Castro Laboreiro is its castle, whose original construction predates the founding of Portugal. Today quite ruined, it has characteristics that make it unique at a national level, namely the existence of an enclosure to protect livestock in case of attack. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1944.
English and Portuguese subtitles are available.
Shot, edited, researched and narrated by Carlos de Figueiredo.
#castrolaboreiro #visitportugal #monuments #nature #naturalpark #castle #middleages #medieval #etnography
Chapters
0:00 - Intro
1:00 - Satellite view
1:12 - Aerial view of the village
1:28 - General view of the village
1:39 - Granite houses
1:52 - Illustration: going from the brandas to the inverneiras
2:23 - Archive footage of Castro Laboreiro in winter
3:05 - Illustration: return to the soft side
3:21 - Archive footage of Castro Laboreiro in Spring
3:56 - Views of the Pillory
4:31 - Parish Church - Views from the outside
5:28 - Parish Church - Views from the interior
6:28 - View from the back of the Parish Church
6:33 - Laboreiro River and Old Bridge
7:24 - View of the village from the Castle mount
7:30 - Views of the landscape on the way to the Castle
8:27 - Views of the Castle from the north
8:48 - Aerial view of the west side of the Castle
8:57 - Walking the path to the north entrance of the Castle
9:17 - Toad Gate (or Betrayal Gate)
9:33 - Aerial view of the north enclosure of the Castle
9:48 - Plan of Castro Laboreiro Castle (Duarte de Armas, 1509/10)
10:04 - Aerial view of the Castle at 360º
12:00 - Views of the cave in the south enclosure of the Castle
12:43 - Rock outcrops with marks of stone extraction, in the south enclosure of the Castle
13:00 - Views of the dividing wall between the north and south enclosures of the Castle
13:17 - Drawing of Castro Laboreiro Castle, seen from the north (Duarte de Armas, 1509/10)
13:32 - Drawing of Castro Laboreiro Castle, seen from the south (Duarte de Armas, 1509/10)
13:47 - General view of the south enclosure of the Castle
14:03 - Connection portal between the north and south enclosures
14:11 - Wall on the east side
14:21 - View of the surrounding landscape from the Castle
14:36 - South enclosure of the Castle
14:56 - Aerial view of the Castle grounds from the south
15:42 - Fountain Gate
15:48 - Sun Gate
16:10 - General view of the Castle’s interior enclosure
16:23 - Aerial view of the Castle from the west