Logbook · 13 places

What to see and do in Olivenza

What to see and do in Olivenza (Llanos de Olivenza, Badajoz): 13 places across monuments, nature, activities and curiosities, with a photo and a Google Maps location.

1 Villages · 6 Monuments · 1 Nature · 2 Curiosities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

How far each place is from the centre of Olivenza

Towns near Olivenza

What to see in Valverde de Leganés 10 km · 7 places
What to see in Alconchel 19 km · 8 places
What to see in Táliga 19 km · 3 places
What to see in Nogales 20 km · 7 places
What to see in Badajoz 24 km · 16 places
What to see in La Albuera 24 km · 6 places
What to see in Cheles 25 km · 8 places
What to see in Almendral 26 km · 6 places

Spain › Extremadura › Badajoz › Llanos de Olivenza › Olivenza

What to see and do in Olivenza

Olivenza
Village
Villa of 11,789 inhabitants (INE 2025) at 269 m altitude, next to the Guadiana. Reconquered by Alfonso IX in 1230 and ceded to Portugal under the Treaty of Alcañices in 1297, it belonged to the Portuguese crown for 504 years until its conquest by Spain in the War of the Oranges and its formal annexation on June 6, 1801 under the Treaty of Badajoz. A member of Los Pueblos Más Bonitos de España (The Most Beautiful Villages of Spain) since 2019.
Disputa histórica de soberanía sobre Olivenza
Historical milestone
Spain considers sovereignty over Olivenza settled under the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz, following the War of the Oranges. Portugal, however, maintains that the 1815 Congress of Vienna (article 105 of the Final Act) obliged the powers to use 'conciliatory means' to restore it to Portugal, and that Spain never carried out that restitution; Spain refused to sign that part of the act and lodged a protest. The dispute, with no active occupation by either side, remains unresolved at the level of formal recognition, although EU membership since 1986 has relegated it to a minor role in bilateral relations. The Spanish and Portuguese versions of the town's history (and that of the neighboring municipality of Táliga) differ on this point.
Castillo de Olivenza
Monument
Fortress with a 36 m-high Torre del Homenaje (keep), of medieval origin (14th century), protected as a heritage asset since 1949. It houses the Museo Etnográfico González Santana (González Santana Ethnographic Museum).
Iglesia de Santa María del Castillo
Monument
Church in Manueline architecture, a late Gothic Portuguese style rarely found in Spain, within the castle precinct.
Murallas abaluartadas y Puerta del Calvario
Monument
Defensive precinct with nine bastions of Portuguese design surrounding the historic center; the Puerta del Calvario is one of its preserved historic gateways.
Puente de Ajuda
Monument
Old bridge over the Guadiana, 380 m long, which linked Olivenza with the Portuguese bank; it survives today in ruins.
Yacimiento de Valdecebadar
Curiosity
Archaeological site within the municipal territory of Olivenza, with remains of occupation from different periods.
Técula mécula
Food and drink
Almond and egg-yolk cake of uncertain origin, possibly Arabic (its name is said to mean 'for you, for me'), recovered in Olivenza around 1930 when a local woman, Celestina Martínez Suárez, found the recipe in a family trunk; her granddaughter founded the Casa Fuentes confectionery in 1942, which registered the name in the 1950s while keeping the recipe secret. It is today one of the province's most representative sweets.
Iglesia parroquial de la Magdalena
Monument
Church dedicated to Mary Magdalene, one of the main parishes in Olivenza's historic centre.
Santa Casa de la Misericordia
Monument
Religious and charitable institution of Portuguese origin preserved in Olivenza, next to the Poor Clares' convent (San Juan de Dios).
Fundación de Olivenza como encomienda templaria
Historical milestone
After the conquest of Badajoz by Alfonso IX of León in 1230, the Order of the Temple received the territories of Olivenza and established it as a commandery in 1256. In 1298 the Portuguese king Dinis I granted it a founding charter, raising it to town status.
El portugués oliventino
Curiosity
Dialect of Portuguese spoken in Olivenza while the town belonged to Portugal, widely used until the 1940s and now practically extinct except among generations born before 1950.
Sierra de Alor
Nature
Range that characterises the landscape of Olivenza's municipal territory, east of the Guadiana river, in an area dotted with archaeological sites.