Portugals Historic Villages

Stamp issue Historic Villages

Portugals Historic Villages represent one of the most emblematic initiatives of the Central Region`s land valorisation. Fundamental references in the country`s history and culture, Linhares da Beira, Trancoso, Marialva, Castelo Rodrigo, Almeida, Castelo Mendo, Sortelha, Belmonte, Monsanto, Idanha-a-Velha, Castelo Novo and Piódão delimit an area marked since ancestral times by varying waves of peoples, cultures and religions.
These villages played an active role in constructing and stabilising Portuguese territory, as seen in innumerable examples of defensive and military architecture, the diversity and artistic quality of its religious heritage, emblems of judicial and municipal power, manor houses and palaces and the uniqueness of their popular architecture.

Heritage

In addition to their historic weight, its protagonism and importance devalued over time, the magnificence of their built heritage, symbolic features and references have fed the imagination of successive generations. Legends, tales of courage, betrayals, stories of war and border secrets are all part of the authentic code of Portugal`s Historic Villages, which since time immemorial have been places of welcome, adventure and discovery. A heritage to be passed down to future generations, to be preserved and promoted as a fitting tribute to a past that must be kept alive in our collective memory.
Stamp issue: Portugal, 28 April 2005