Palace of the Dukes of Braganza

This fifteenth-century palace in Guimarães, with its distinctive cluster of brick chimneys and steep slate roofs, was built in a Burgundian manner unusual for Portugal. Long neglected and later heavily restored in the twentieth century, it now serves as a museum displaying tapestries, furniture, arms and porcelain arranged around a central courtyard. It sits within the historic town regarded as the birthplace of the Portuguese nation, close to the medieval castle. The great banqueting hall with its painted wooden ceiling is a highlight.