Juromenha Alentejo Portugal HD

The first references to the site of Juromenha date from the second half of the ninth century. For more than two hundred years this place was considered the stronghold of defense of the zone of Badajoz, belonging from century X to Caliphate of Cordova. In 1167 D. Afonso Henriques conquered the fortress, but this one would return to the domain of Caliph Almasor in 1191. This space of defense of the Guadiana would only be definitively reconquered by the Portuguese Crown in 1242.
Despite having been completely rebuilt in 1312 by the order of D. Dinis, the fortress gradually entered into decadence beginning in the 16th century and was only revitalized in the post-Restoration period because of its strategic importance.

In the year of 1646 the reconstruction of the fortification began. The works continued for the following years and were still underway when the gunpowder fleet exploded in 1659, ruining most of the structures already built, as well as the old palace.
The fortress was built according to a plan of polygonal model, composed by two waistlines of walls, one internal, where the tower of menagem is located, and another external, being this type of abaluartado. In the inner space of the fortress were built the Misericórdia churches and the headquarters, as well as the old Paços do Concelho and the respective chain, and a rectangular cistern that supplied the population.
This fortification obeys the dominant system of its time throughout Europe, commonly called the Vauban type.

With the earthquake of 1755 the fortress was very affected, mainly the area of ​​edification seiscentista, reason why reconstruction works, that included the construction of a fortim in the walls next to the Guadiana, to contribute the boats.

Due to its strategic position in the defense of the border lines, the Fortress of Juromenha was successively attacked throughout the centuries.
In 1662 the troops of D. João de Austria occupied for six years the fortification, that would return to the possession of the Portuguese Crown in the General Peace of 1668, in the beginning of century XIX, During the Peninsular War, the fortification was taken by the army of D. Manuel Godoy, only being recovered in 1808.

From then on it was gradually becoming decadent, and in 1920 it was depopulated.