Paço de Giela

Accordingly to the historian and archaeologist Mário Barroca, the site where the Paço de Giela currently stands was occupied by a castle-refuge dating back to the 11th century, of which the northern section of the wall remains. Excavations carried out in 2014 also identified signs of this tower adjacent to the wall, close to the current one but smaller. This structure will have lost importance and would even be abandoned, possibly in the second half of the same century.
There is no certainty about the date on which the Giela site acquired its second configuration, marked by the presence of a manor tower. Mário Barroca's stylistic analysis led him to argue that it was "a construction from the first quarter of the 14th century, from the final phase of the reign of D. Dinis, or at most from the second quarter of the century".
This dating coincides with the possibility that it was founded by D. João Fernandes de Lima, married to Maria Anes de Aboim, suggested by other authors. It is known that in 1398, João I donated the "house of Geella", together with the Terra de Valdevez, to Fernão Anes de Lima, father of the 1st Viscount of Vila Nova de Cerveira, D. Leonel de Lima.
Its current appearance is the result of two major construction stages: one from the first half of the 14th century, and another from the beginning of the 16th century, in addition to living space and agricultural use in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has been owned by the Municipality of Arcos de Valdevez since 1999. It opened completely recovered and rehabilitated after a broad and multidisciplinary intervention project, with an investment of 1.2 million euros, financed by Structural Funds of the European Community and the Municipality of Arcuense. The inauguration took place on July 11, 2015, Municipality Day, and was part of the commemoration program for the 500th anniversary of the Foral de Valdevez. The ceremony was presided over by the then Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. The intervention endowed the property with cultural features and tourist promotion and is part of a project for that area, consisting of classified buildings and a surrounding property with a total of 22 hectares, municipal property, called Parque Urbano do Paço de Giela, which learn about future improvement interventions.
In addition to the total rehabilitation of the property comprising the tower and former living areas, and in respect for the historical characteristics and time marks of its evolution, the intervention recovered the former caretakers' houses as a reception space for visitors and an auditorium/exhibition area, as well as like the primitive Chapel of Santa Apolónia, from the 16th century. The space functions as a true heritage "sanctuary", in a unique coexistence between history and nature, being one of the mandatory places to visit in the municipality and in the region, in what is considered one of the most important National Monuments and a remarkable example of residence. castled manor house from the Middle Ages and Modern.[citation needed]
The former Torre do Paço, completely restored, has an interpretive and exhibition space inside, consisting of three floors, as in the original project: one is dedicated to Archeology of the Municipality, another to the interpretation of the monument itself and a third dedicated to Recontro de Valdevez, who in 1141 opposed Afonso Henriques to his cousin Alfonso VII of León and Castile. These spaces are supported by an effective and dynamic project that articulates new technologies and the museological component.[citation needed]
The top of the keep, and its primitive round path, is a fantastic viewpoint over the ancient and medieval "Terras de Valdevez" and the beautiful valley of the River Vez

Is was very nice a few years used to be a hookup spot for quickies ,surprised i had to pay to see the castle this time.

Very recently and very well renovated, with modern infotainment.
A cheap visit for the whole family !

cheap and lovely tour

Nice building from XII century, totally rebuilt recently, nice views, nice parking lot and only cost 1€/person. The tower has some multimedia material, namely a virtual guide showing how the building was modified through time and a film about the area's history.

Excellent piece of history. Well done

Halloween night party at Paço de Giela was a very good night, great bands like Syro and greats djs too...so we'll done for putting up a good show.

Very nice place you can visit for free, it’s very well maintained and has an amazing view over the city and mountains

Interesting castle and history lesson

Very well kept stone palace

Very nice place

History place

Uma visita muito interessante. Bilhetes para exploração do espaço - 1€.

Antiguo pazo a las afueras de arcos de valdevez en portugal. Muy bonito he interesante para visitar. La entrada cuesta 1 euro por persona pero merece la pena por las vistas desde la torre a la que se puede subir.

Local infelizmente pouco conhecido, obrigatório de visitar, tanto pela qualidade da exposição, como pela sua importância histórica. Muito bem conservado, com respeito pela estrutura existente e embelezando-a mais ainda pelo seu contraste moderno. Exposição muito interessante com recriação histórica do duelo entre D. Afonso Henriques e o seu primo direito, rei de Castela. Simplesmente fabuloso.

Uma agradável surpresa. O castelo está muito bem conservado e restaurado e todos os locais tem um acesso excelente. Tem-se acesso a todos os locais inclusive à torre que tem umas vistas deslumbrantes. Tem ainda no interior da torre um painel interativo sobre a história do Paço da Giela e um pequeno filme a explicar como foi a batalha travada neste local em 1141 que levou à independência de Portugal em 1143. Um local a visitar.

Visitei ao domingo. Muito bem preservado. Bilhete 1€ que vale muito a pena, desde da simpatia da senhora que me atendeu como dentro do castelo tem 2 pisos "museu" que explica como "se fez Portugal"

Es bastante interesante. Te cuentan mucho en las pantallas que tienen de forma muy concisa. Se ve muy rápido y todo por un euro. Tiene unas vistas impresionantes.

Para mim que sou amante de gatos, esta visita fez ainda mais sentido! Espaço muito lindo para se visitar!

Ahhhh gente, pensa numa recepção calorosa que tivemos do Lima 🐈 um gato amoroso..
Ahhhhhh e não só, há mais 3 😁 gatos fofos....a menina fa recepção os ensinou a atender muito bem a todos que chegam. Amamos o lugar sem dúvida.
Pagamos 1 euro por pessoa para a visita ao castelo 🏰, mas super vale a pena!