Branda dos Bicos

Category: Archaeology > Ruins

District: Viana do Castelo > Arcos de Valdevez > Gondoriz > Branda dos Bicos

Location

Branda dos Bicos is located in Gondoriz, an area within the municipality of Arcos de Valdevez, set against a mountainous landscape. This location is nestled in a naturally tranquil environment, characteristic of the Alto Minho highlands, where traditional housing blends with fields and valleys. Its elevated position offers direct contact with the surrounding nature, far from daily hustle and bustle.

Origin and Meaning

A "branda" represents a type of seasonal settlement, traditionally associated with transhumance, the practice of moving flocks between summer and winter pastures. Branda dos Bicos, like other brandas in the region, served as a temporary shelter for shepherds and their families during the warmer months, when animals were taken to graze in higher lands. This arrangement reflected a profound adaptation to the agricultural and pastoral cycle, being a testament to communal living and humanity's ancestral relationship with nature.

Heritage and Environment

The constructions at Branda dos Bicos are examples of popular mountain architecture, built predominantly of stone, with a simplicity that integrates them into the landscape. These small houses, some with their adjacent corrals, reveal the functionality and robustness required for life in the brandas. The atmosphere here is one of peace, inviting contemplation of the landscape and an understanding of a way of life that deeply marked local history and culture. It is a place where one can appreciate the authenticity of a rural legacy and the beauty of a still-preserved territory.

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