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Museu de Francisco Tavares Proença Júnior

The Beiras


Occupying the sober 18th-century bishop’s palace, this long-standing museum has an excellent display of local archaeological finds. Its highlight, however, is its collection of colchas, silk-embroidered linen bedspreads and coverlets inspired by silks and motifs brought back by Portuguese explorers. For centuries Castelo Branco was famous for these elaborately designed spreads, and you can see many locally made examples alongside a stunning selection of Asian originals.


Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¼´Ê±¿ª½±'s must-see attractions

Nearby The Beiras attractions

1. Jardim do Paço Episcopal

0.02 MILES

This delightful retreat is the garden of the former bishop's palace, an 18th-century baroque whimsy of clipped box hedges, pools and grand staircases…

2. Museu Cargaleiro

0.2 MILES

This extraordinary museum is spread over two buildings, a mid-18th-century house in Rua dos Cavaleiros (Knights Street) and a clashing contemporary…

3. Castelo

0.23 MILES

There’s little left of Castelo Branco's hilltop castle, which was built by the Knights Templar in the 13th century and subsequently extended by Dom Afonso…

5. Lagar de Varas

21.9 MILES

This a 19th-century stone barn near the cathedral houses an impressive olive-oil press made in the traditional way with huge tree trunks providing the…

6. Catedral

21.9 MILES

Tucked into a corner of the walled village sits the 6th-century Visigothic cathedral, surrounded by a jigsaw puzzle of scattered archaeological remains…

7. Ruins

21.91 MILES

The only remaining vestige of the defences the Knights Templar built in the 13th century is the Torre de Menagem. Also known as the Torre dos Templários,…

8. Castelo

24.77 MILES

This formidable stone fortress seems to grow out of the boulder-littered hilltop. There's not a lot left inside the walls but it's a beautiful site,…