Castle of Lousã
Castle in Lousã, Portugal From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Castle of Lousã (Portuguese: Castelo da Lousã), also known as the Castle of Arouce (Portuguese: Castelo de Arouce), is a classified National Monument situated 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the civil parish of Lousã e Vilarinho, municipality of Lousã. It was constructed in the second-half of the 11th century, on the right margin of the River Arouce.[1]
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Portuguese. (September 2011) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Castle of Lousã | |
|---|---|
Castelo de Lousã | |
| Lousã e Vilarinho, Lousã, Coimbra in Portugal | |
 View of the outer walls of the Castle of Lousã | |
| Coordinates | 40°06′03″N 8°14′08″W |
| Type | Castle |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Open to the public | Public |
| Site history | |
| Built | 11th Century |
| Materials | Granite, Shale, Clay, Cement |
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In 1080, count Sisnando Davides occupied the settlement of Lousã peacefully (but was later reoccupied by the Moors).[2] The castle was part of the first defensive lines constructed to protect the access-ways to Coimbra, during the count's stewardship, during the second-half of the 11th century.[1] The smaller perimeter of the military structure corresponded to this early period, with later expansions associated with the early middle ages.[1]
It was in 1124, when the Moorish garrison fell and the castle was re-occupied by the forces of D. Teresa, who completed reparation of the defenses.[2] Eventually, the royal court of Queen D. Mafalda would spend her summers in the settlement and castle.[2]
During the early years of the Portuguese monarchy, the region occupied an important position owing to its frontier status.[1] In 1124, Moorish incursions were responsible for taking the castle.[1] In 1151, a foral was issued by D. Afonso Henriques, owing to its military importance: during the 12th century, there were several raids by Moors across the valley of Zêzere.[2] By that time, Lousã was no longer a frontier town, owing to the conquest of Santarém, Lisbon and Palmela in 1147. During this time, the kingdom had a policy of settlement that attempted to fix and stabilize the Portuguese population centers and promote further occupation of the land.
The keep tower was constructed during the 14th Century.[2]
A new foral was issued in 1513 by King D. Manuel.[1][2] As its military role ceased to be important, the castle fell into disuse.[1]
Until 1759, the signeurial rights to the region were maintained by the Dukes of Aveiro, but were transferred back to the Crown.[2]
Between the 1940s and 1960s, the DGEMN Direção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-General for the Buildings and National Monuments) promoted substantial remodeling to reinforce the structure.[1] Rights to the castle and land were ceded to the municipality on 10 August 1957; on 27 April 2019, the re-qualified castle was inaugurated, later to include a newly constructed viewpoint and visitors' center.[2]
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