Category: Military Architecture > Castle
District: Leiria > Peniche > Atouguia da Baleia > Coimbrã
Atouguia da Baleia, a parish in the municipality of Peniche, West region of Portugal.
It was one of the most important ports in Portugal during the Middle Ages.
The silting linked the island of Peniche to the mainland, leading to the loss of importance of Atouguia as the seat of the municipality.
The ruins are classified as Property of Public Interest since 2006.
The old village was called Tauria, then Touguia, and gained the name Atouguia da Baleia after a whale stranded in 1526.
D. Afonso Henriques granted the village of Tauria to the French crusaders in 1158 as a reward for their help in the conquest of Lisbon.
It received its first Charter in 1167, confirmed in 1218 and again in 1510.
During the reign of D. Dinis, Atouguia had an annual fair and developed in fishing and shipbuilding activities.
Under D. Dinis, the defenses of the town were reinforced due to the threat of North African pirates. Manuel Pessanha, a Genoese admiral, used Atouguia as a base of operations against piracy.
In 1373, D. Fernando held the General Courts in Atouguia, demonstrating the importance of the town at the time.
D. Álvaro Gonçalves de Ataíde was named 1st Count of Atouguia in 1448.
The silting of the São Domingos river led to the development of Peniche, which was elevated to town and municipality in the early 17th century.
In 1836, the municipality of Atouguia da Baleia was extinguished and the parish was incorporated into the municipality of Peniche.
Only a tower and parts of the walls of the old castle remain. Recent excavations have revealed sections of the medieval wall, indicating the need for more archaeological research.
Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelo_de_Atouguia_da_Baleia
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 39.34019236579457,-9.32509702798389
Coordinates DMS: 39°20'24.7"N 09°19'30.3"W
Weather Atouguia da Baleia
On-duty Pharmacy Atouguia da Baleia
