Guimarães Castle, Portugal

Portugal-25, originally uploaded by Abhishek's Received Postcards.

The Guimarães Castle, located in the city of Guimarães, Portugal, was ordered to be built by Dona Mumadona Dias in the 10th century in order to defend its monastery from Muslim and Norman attacks.
Guimarães is a city and municipality in northwestern Portugal in the province of Minho and in the district of Braga. In the 9th century, Vímara Peres was able to expel the Moors and founded a fortified town under his own name Vimaranis (of Vimar) which later became Guimaranis, present day Guimarães. The city is often referred to as the "birthplace of the Portuguese nationality" and also was the birthplace of Afonso I of Portugal, the first Portuguese king.