Bragança

Bragança: feudal castle

Bragança, English Braganza, city and concelho (municipality), northeastern Portugal. It lies on a branch of the Sabor River in the Culebra Mountains, 105 miles (170 km) northeast of Porto on the border with Spain.

Originally, Bragança was a Celtic city known as Brigantia; it later became the Juliobriga of the Romans. Historically, the city is important as the seat of the house of Bragança, which provided the kings of Portugal from 1640 to 1910 and the emperors of Brazil from 1822 to 1889; their feudal castle (built 1187) still remains. Catherine of Bragança became the queen consort (1662) of Charles II of England. Bragança, an episcopal see, was the capital of the historical Trás-os-Montes province. Notable landmarks in the city include the 12th-century Domus Municipalis (Portugal’s oldest and largest town hall), the Renaissance cathedral, and the town walls, with 18 watchtowers. The possessions of the house of Bragança belong to the Portuguese state and support the Fundaçao da Casa de Bragança, a foundation with a library, a museum, and a lecture centre in the 16th-century residence of the Bragança family in Vila Viçosa.

Bragança is an agricultural trade centre (wine, olive oil, grains, and livestock), and some manufacturing (textiles) is carried on there. The centuries-old Ash Wednesday celebration attracts many tourists each year. Bragança is connected to Porto by rail and paved road. The area surrounding Bragança is largely mountainous. High-grade iron ore is mined there. Pop. (2001) city, 20,309; mun., 34,750; (2011 est.) city, 20,700; (2011) mun., 35,341.