The castle, closed since 2019 reopens completely renovated, with a new amphitheater and visit-able interior.
It was D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal – at the time still Prince – who had the Castle of Leiria built in 1135. Five years later, the Castle was reconquered by the Muslims, returning to the hand of christians in 1142, at the beginning of a series of struggles and reconquests that marked its history.
Since June 2019, the historic Castle of Leiria has been closed for deep works, the largest in the last 50 years, in an intervention with a value of more than four million euros. And from This Saturday, May 22, it is open again, totally renovated, intending to be a new “asset to the economic recovery of the post-pandemic region”.
At the outside level, the castle gained a stone amphitheater, for outdoor events and with capacity for 200 people, the paths were leveled and placed sidewalk, and the rest areas were also the object of intervention. A cafeteria was created and routes were defined in order to facilitate movement within the monument. Up to the level of the flora there are changes, with the introduction of autoctose plant species.
In the next two years, the municipality will continue to invest in this national monument, which will amount to six million euros, making it one of the largest investments in the area of culture and heritage in Portugal.