In a transitional territory of the northern Portuguese lane, bordering Galicia, it stands on top of a hill, about 60m high, on the left bank of the River Minho and in front of Tui, one of the most important fortresses in Portugal that surrounds the old core of Valença.
This village, which was built on an ancient Romanized fortified settlement, on a hillock over the passage of the River Minho, was served by the Roman road that linked Bracara Augusta (Braga) to Asturica Augusta (Astorga), by Tude (Tui).
With fortification origins from the 13th century to the time of King Sancho I, Valença had a strategic importance in the relationship between Minho and Galicia. The still visible medieval fortifications date back to 1262, built by order of D. Afonso III, which now encompasses the entire village. Later, the fortress was complemented with barbicans and a breastplate, which reveals the military importance of the transition to the period of the gunpowder war.
As early as the 17th century, and due to the fact that Valença was very exposed to Spanish attacks, one of the greatest military achievements in history was undertaken, under the design of Miguel de l'Escole, a military engineer who developed other fortifications along the river Minho. The works began in 1661, having been completed in 1713, already at the risk of the architect Manuel Pinto de Vilalobos.
Valença then began to have a majestic network of bastions and levels that communicate with each other through ditches and bridges. The fortress is divided into two areas connected by the socalled Porta do Meio. The northern area involves the medieval core of the village and the southern area, with a purely military function, is called “Coroada”. The whole ensemble is defended by a complex mesh of bastions and revelins that isolated it and allowed a large area of ​​visibility and fire, thus constituting a “greater work” in Portuguese military history.

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