Barrancos is a Portuguese town and the seat of the municipality with the smallest population on the mainland.

Barrancos has a strong cultural connection to Spain due to its proximity to the border. The nearest settlement is the Spanish village of Encinasola, about 8 km away, while the closest Portuguese locality, Santo Aleixo da Restauração, lies roughly 20 km from town.

Among the elderly population, the Barranquenho dialect is still spoken—a blend of Spanish and Portuguese that clearly reflects this cross-border connection. Another sign of this cultural link is the tradition of bullfighting with the killing of the bull, legalized under an exceptional regime in 2002. Barrancos is the only place in Portugal where it is legal to kill the bull during the corrida.

The region where the municipality of Barrancos now lies was conquered from the Moors in 1167 by Gonçalo Maia and settled from the year 1200 on by order of King  Sancho I. At the time, the municipal seat was the town of Noudar, which was dissolved in 1825. From then on, a gradual depopulation process began in favor of Barrancos, eventually leading to Noudar’s total abandonment.

Noudar, however, still preserves its beautiful castle, surrounded by the Ardila River that winds through the surrounding landscape. In this area, the Noudar Nature Park has since been created, and the Herdade da Coitadinha has been restored through the intervention of EDIA as part of the compensations related to the construction of the Alqueva Dam. Noudar Park is a stunning place, almost untouched by human hands, where wildlife and natural scenery are its greatest assets. It is a must-see when visiting the municipality of Barrancos.

Points of Interest:

Clock Tower
Mother Church
Barrancos Viewpoint
Municipal Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography

In Noudar Nature Park:

Noudar Castle
Fonte da Pipa
Herdade da Coitadinha