Palace of the Dukes of Braganza (Guimarães)

Why go

Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, which runs the palace, says on its ticket page that it was built between 1420 and 1433 by order of Afonso, eighth Count of Barcelos and illegitimate son of King John I, is thought to have been a residence of the Dukes of Braganza, fell into ruin and was adapted as a military barracks in the 19th century, and underwent an extensive restoration between 1937 and 1959 to a project by the architect Rogério de Azevedo. It says the furnishings, mainly 17th- and 18th-century tapestry, furniture, ceramics, painting and arms, were acquired at that time, and that the palace opened to the public on 25 June 1959, the year it also became the official residence of the President of the Republic in the north. The page places the palace, the Church of São Miguel and Guimarães Castle together on the Monte Latito, a garden area of about 39,000 square metres, and says 'Acesso 52' free tickets for residents are issued only at a physical ticket office. This record is the palace in Guimarães, not the Ducal Palace of Vila Viçosa.