What to visit in Elvas

Elvas is a municipality located in the south of the Portalegre District, bordering the Évora District and Spain. It covers an area of ​​630 square kilometers, has a population of 25,000, and is divided into 11 parishes.

Elvas has excellent access, the most important being by highway: Portalegre (60 km), Évora (90 km), Setúbal (175 km), Lisbon (215 km), Coimbra (250 km), Porto (360 km), Badajoz (10 km), Mérida (80 km), Cáceres (100 km), Seville (210 km), Madrid (415 km), and Barcelona (1,050 km). The city thus boasts an enviable location, highly attractive for the establishment of new businesses.

Although its Alentejo geography is not deceiving, the municipality of Elvas has two excellent water sources: the Caia and Alqueva dams. Therefore, nautical activities and fishing are attractive options, in addition to hunting.

The municipality's restaurants have a seating capacity of 5,000 people, while the hotel sector has a capacity of 1,000 beds. The varied and delicious gaucho cuisine can be found in the municipality's restaurants, where the presence of fresh, high-quality fish and seafood attracts countless visitors.

The city has numerous cultural facilities, notably the José Rondão Almeida Coliseum (6,500 seats) and four museums: Contemporary Art, Sacred Art, Military Art, and Photography. Elvas's monumental heritage is highly valued: the Amoreira Aqueduct, Graça and Santa Luzia Forts, 17th-century walls, castle, churches, and military heritage are all recommended tourist attractions.

A settlement that predates the Romans and sits in a privileged strategic location, Elvas became definitively part of Portuguese territory under King Sancho II in 1228.

A border area since the 12th century due to the vicissitudes of history, it was strongly marked by its military foundation, making it today a veritable museum of fortifications from various eras. Elevated to city status by King Manuel I in 1513 and an episcopal seat from 1570 to 1881, it hosted illustrious marriages that sealed Iberian alliances, such as that of the future kings John IV and Luísa de Gusmão Medina-Sidónia, and Joseph I and Maria Ana Victória, Infanta of Spain.

The historic center of Elvas's fortress is embraced by the impotent 17th-century walls that have since defended the oasite from foreign invasion. A remarkable example of the early Dutch tradition of military architecture, these walls, designed by the Dutch Jesuit Cosmander, along with the Forts of Graça and Santa Luzia, and the small forts, make Elvas the largest set of bastioned fortifications in the world.

Therefore, here are some suggestions for a visit.

Elvas Castle

Currently quadrilateral in shape, it was rebuilt in 1226 by King Sancho II, undergoing modifications and extensions, notably under King Dinis, King João II, and King Manuel. The entrance to the citadel is through an open door in the wall, between the two main crenellated towers. The one on the left is the Torre de Managem, rebuilt in 1488. It records the adaptations of the transition phase to the bastioned system.

Visiting hours: Closed on January 1st, Easter Sunday, May 1st, and December 25th.

Hours: 9:30 AM to 1 PM and 2:30 PM to 5:30 PM

Elvas Museum of Contemporary Art

The Elvas Museum of Contemporary Art (MACE) opened in July 2007 and is housed in the former Hospital da Misericórdia de Elvas, a notable late-Baroque building from the mid-18th century. It is part of the Elvas City Council's network of cultural facilities and has its own research and teaching team. It houses the Dr. Antônio Cachola Collection of Contemporary Portuguese Art.

The collection, developed since the late 1990s and currently with over three hundred pieces and continually growing, has a comprehensive and educational character, stimulating the creation of new cultural realities. The António Cachola collection has no disciplinary, thematic, or aesthetic boundaries and aims to provide a global vision of the historical and critically productive realities defined in the works of artists emerging or established between the 1980s and the present.

Address: Rua da Cadeia s/n | Tel. (00351 268 637 150)

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday

Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Elvas Municipal Library

Founded in 1880, it occupies approximately 300 m² and includes the following collections: The Elvas City Council archive, which contains all documentation related to municipal bodies, administrative services, and municipal regulations, spanning the period 1434 to 1938. This collection also includes various documents on economics, justice, public works, education, and culture, covering the entire history of the city. The oldest documents are the collection of 85 small trinkets, whose first chronological landmark is 1341. The library also includes a collection of periodicals from the 19th century.