Ruins of the old village

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Bragança > Vinhais > Candedo > Espinhoso

Location

The ruins of the ancient village are immersed in the serene Trás-os-Montes landscape, in the locality of Candedo, parish of Espinhoso, belonging to the municipality of Vinhais, in the district of Bragança. This place, far from the urban bustle, offers an environment of deep tranquility, characteristic of the natural beauty of Northeast Portugal.

Its position allows visitors to enjoy the rural quietude and the harmonious integration of the ancient constructions with the surrounding nature, in an area where time seems to flow at a different pace, inviting introspection on the rural life of yesteryear.

Testimony of a Rural Past

This complex of ruins represents what remains of a village that was once vibrant, housing an entire community. Its dismantled walls and silent foundations tell the story of a daily life of hard work and communion with the land. It is a testament to the resilience and simplicity of the people who inhabited these lands, dedicated to agriculture and pastoralism, in full self-sufficiency.

By exploring the vestiges of the ancient houses and paths, visitors are transported to an era when the villages of Trás-os-Montes were the center of life, revealing the social organization and popular architecture that marked these communities before their gradual abandonment.

Architecture and Landscape Setting

The ruins reveal traces of civil architecture adapted to the environment and local resources. The buildings were mostly constructed with stone abundant in the region, such as granite and schist, resulting in robust structures that, even in ruin, remain as distinctive elements of the landscape.

The layout of the ancient dwellings and common spaces allows us to glimpse the village's plan, with its narrow paths and plots of land, in a continuous dialogue between the built environment and the natural surroundings. This place thus offers a unique perspective on how communities established themselves and shaped their environment, using the materials that nature itself provided.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt