Village
Villa located at the western edge of the province, next to the border with Portugal, with the town center at 461 m altitude (the highest point in the territory, in the Sierra Fría, reaches 972 m) and 595.10 km² in area; it had 6,106 inhabitants. Alfonso IX of León granted it a charter in the 13th century. Between 1644 and 1668, during the Portuguese Restoration War, the town belonged to the Kingdom of Portugal. Smuggling with the neighboring country was a major source of income until the border disappeared in 1992, following Spain's entry into the European Union.
Monument
Fortress already mentioned in the early 13th century, of which the keep and a cistern survive from the original Arab castle, along with the 18th-century bastions that defended the town during the wars with Portugal and the Napoleonic invasion.
Monument
Group of 41 dolmens spread across three sectors, dated between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC (Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods), considered one of the most important megalithic centers in western Europe. It was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Zona Arqueológica (Archaeological Zone) category in 1992.
Historical milestone
The construction of the railway line between Madrid and Lisbon, with an inaugural visit by Alfonso XII in 1881, was the most significant event in the contemporary history of Valencia de Alcántara and its definitive connection to modernity, as it became a border crossing point for rail traffic between Spain and Portugal.
Monument
16th-century church with an 18th-century neoclassical façade and three longitudinal naves. It was the setting in 1497 for the wedding between the Infanta Isabel de Aragón, eldest daughter of the Catholic Monarchs, and King Manuel I of Portugal. It preserves a Baroque high altarpiece by José de Churriguera (18th century) and an eight-panel altarpiece of the Virgin and the Saint Johns, the work of the Extremaduran painter Luis de Morales.
Monument
The judería (Jewish quarter) of Valencia de Alcántara, the largest in the province of Cáceres, was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural with the category of Conjunto Histórico in 1997. Its medieval streets preserve houses with Gothic doorways and noble coats of arms. The old synagogue (14th-15th centuries), square in plan with granite columns, was desecrated after the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 and converted into a slaughterhouse, a use still recorded in an inscription on the stone arch of its doorway.
Monument
16th-century convent, officially the Monasterio de Monjas de Santa Ana, with a Renaissance façade of notable quality.
Monument
Fortress officially dated to the 13th century, after the town was reconquered by the Order of Alcántara, though it preserves elements (a barbican tower and a cistern) that may point to an earlier Muslim origin.
Monument
Small bridge of Roman origin over the Alburrel river, located about 6 km north of the town, in the Garabíos area. Much altered over time, it is preserved in good condition and was included in 2018 in the Inventory of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Extremadura.
Curiosity
Aqueduct of about 17 arches located two kilometres from the town, on Calleja de la Barca, which carried water from the San Pedro area to the Barrio de la Charca. It has traditionally been dated to Roman times (1st century), but more recent research suggests it may have been built in the 16th century at the instigation of the Franciscan community then established in the town: the sources disagree on its true origin.
Historical milestone
During the Portuguese Restoration War, the town was under the rule of the Kingdom of Portugal for 24 years, between 1644 and 1668, before being reincorporated into the Spanish crown.
Curiosity
A century-old poplar tree popularly known as "the fat tree" stood in the Plaza de la Constitución; local tradition held that any outsider who urinated next to it after drinking would find a bride in the village. The tree was felled on 23 February 1973.
Curiosity
The main square of Valencia de Alcántara was paved in 1872 with stones brought from Portugal, which gave rise among the townspeople to the joke that, by walking on it, they were treading on Portuguese soil.
Activity
Historical re-enactment of the 1497 wedding between Infanta Isabel de Aragón and King Manuel I of Portugal, held in the church of Rocamador. It is organised on the first weekend of August with a market and medieval atmosphere in the historic centre.
Food and drink
A rural cuisine shared with the rest of La Raya border region: migas with pepper and garlic, Extremaduran gazpacho with pennyroyal, chanfaina made from kid offal, lamb frite, Extremaduran cocido with pork shoulder and chorizo, and sweets such as Easter buns or chicharrón cakes.