About Chaves

Chaves is a municipality and a city in the north of Portugal. It is the capital and largest city of the district of Chaves. The present mayor is Miguel Almeida. The municipal holiday is September 8. The municipality has an area of 502.1 km² and a population of 54,561 inhabitants (in 2020), with a density of 108.5 inhabitants/km². The city of Chaves is the seat of a bishopric since the 5th century, when it was the capital of the Kingdom of the Suebi. Later, it was conquered by the Moors and, after the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula, it became the first Portuguese city north of the Douro River. The region around Chaves has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. In the region there are some rare examples of megalithic monuments, like the Menhir of Arcozelo or the stone circles of Refojos da Ribeira and Vale de Meios. These monuments attest the presence of ancient man in this region since the Neolithic age. The region of Chaves was already inhabited in the Celtic period. The Celtic tribe of the "Sequani" settled here after the Gallic Wars. They built a small village called Cabeço da Herdade. This village was later destroyed by the Romans in the course of their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Roman presence is attested by ruins of several villas and by the bridge over the Tâmega River, called "Ponte de Trajanus", built in the 2nd century by order of the Roman emperor Trajan. The Suebi, a Germanic tribe, conquered the region from the Romans in the 5th century and made it the capital of their Kingdom of Galicia. In the year 569, the Suebi kingdom was annexed by the Visigothic king Leovigild. The city was then known as " body of Saint Martin." The Moorish conquest of Chaves occurred in the 8th century. The Moorish alcaide of Chaves, named "Alara", built a fortress on the hill where the Cathedral of Chaves now stands. The Moorish presence in Chaves ended in the year of Our Lord 1057, when the city was conquered by Ferdinand I of León, in the context of the Christian Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The Leonese king gave the city of Chaves to his daughter, Urraca of León, who married Alfonso VI of Castile. The double royalty of this princess made Chaves an important border city between the Christian kingdoms of Leon and Portugal. In 1109, the Portuguese prince, Henry of Burgundy, the future king Afonso Henriques, took the city of Chaves from his mother, Urraca of León, in an act of rebellion against his mother and her Castilian husband, Alfonso VI. This act was the beginning of the independence of Portugal. During the Middle Ages, Chaves was an important border city between Portugal and Spain. The castle and the walls were thus reinforced and the city expanded. Chaves was captured by the English during the Anglo-Portuguese War (1383-85). The English king, Richard II, was received in the city with great pomp and ceremony. Later, in 1464, Chaves was conquered by the Spanish army of king Alfonso V of Portugal. After the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668), the city was once again Portuguese. During the Napoleonic Wars, Chaves was occupied by French troops in March 1809. The city was freed from the French by the Anglo-Portuguese army under the command of Lord Wellington, in the following month of October. Chaves was the site of an important battle during World War I. In December 1917, the Portuguese Expeditionary Corps, under the command of General Gomes da Costa, defeated the German forces in the Battle of Chaves. This victory halted the German advance in Portugal and was celebrated throughout the country. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Chaves underwent a profound transformation. New roads and railways were built and the city expanded beyond its medieval walls. The thermal baths of Chaves, which had been known since Roman times, were exploited and turned into a modern spa, frequented by many national and international celebrities. The city of Chaves has a cool climate, with average temperatures around 13ºC. The winter is cold, with occasional snowfall. The summer is hot, with temperatures often exceeding 30ºC. Chaves is a city with a rich historical and cultural heritage. The castle, the cathedral, the thermal baths and