Obidos – A true utopia for any Photographer – Visually Stunning
Resembling an open air museum, this walled medieval town has been preserved to look like a picture postcard. With its monuments, narrow winding streets and whitewashed houses with windows and terraces full of flowers. Its charm has crossed the ages.
The ‘romantic’ feel of Obidos is a perception not only due to its pretty settings. It was the 1210 when Dom Afonso 11, King of Portugal, first offered the city to his wife Dona Urraca as a very special wedding present. This was the start of a centuries-long tradition, which continued until the late 1800s. Know as the ‘Vila das Rainhas’ – The Queens’ City – Obidos became the customary bridal gift of the kings of Portugal to their spouses who, in return, shaped and modified the place into what we can see today. It is something that can still be felt in the town’s distinctive feminine feel.
Obidos is the result of a constant mixing of races and cultures – Romans, Visigoths and Moors all had their playgrounds here. From the hidden corners and high-walled gardens of the Medina area to the Gothic Renaissance and Baroque features, the town is an extensive work of art carved, destroyed and rebuilt throughout the centuries. It is a very small town, where everything is within walking distance, completely enclosed by lofty walls. Echoes of the Middle Ages can be found everywhere: cobbled alleys, whitewashed houses trimmed with touches of bright blue and ochre, the ubiquitous azulejos (painted tiles) and steep staircases winding up to the ramparts for great view of the surrounding countryside.
The first surprise is at the main access gate into town, the Porta de Vila, where tourists stare upwards in awe at its marvellous interior, decorated with 18th century tiles, Once you go through the gate, the main street in front of you – the Rua Direita – will take you all the way to the other side of the city and it’s an excellent way of getting a first impression of Obidos.
It will not be easy to leave the multitude of handicraft stores unexplored – they sell anything from wicker baskets to handmade embroidery and traditional ceramics. If shopping is not your cup of tea, make the Bar Ibn Errik Rex your first stop instead. There you can try a shot of grijinha, a traditional liqueur made of fermenting ‘ginja’ berry (similar to cherry) in brandy.
The handsome central square is just a short walk from there and a very atmospheric place, dominated by the Igreja de Santa Maria. Next to it, the former town hall, now the Museu Principal, most notable for its work by Josefa de Obidos, one of the finest 17th Century Portuguese painters.
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Eventually, the main street will leave you in front of Obidos castle. Now converted into a luxury place to stay, this massive fortification probably existed since Roman times.
There is access at various points to the town walls – at times it’s a narrow, 13 metre high, hair-raising walkway with no handrails, particularly in the area near the castle. Looking down within the walls, it’s a sea of terracotta roofs, a maze of small alleys with the castle high up at one end, dominating everything. All around, on the other hand, is a lush plain, expanses of vineyards and whirling windmills.
Very little has changed within these mighty walls and walking through the town’s small alleys one can easily imagine what it must have been like in the old times, when the king and his court came to visit.
Obidos outskirts are also interesting places to visit, such as the aqueduct built at the behest of King Joao III’s wife, Queen Catarina of Austria, the Obidos lagoon and the Bom Sucessos place, where the Royal picnics used to take place.
A fantastic town soon to be surrounded by equally fantastic golf resorts like Bom Sucesso and Oceanico’s Royal Obidos.
Lagoon of Obidos
The Lagoon of Óbidos is the most extensive lagunar system in the coast of Portugal. It has an approximate area of 6.9 square kilometres and an average depth of two meters, with a quota that goes from half a meter to five meters.
The Lagoon of Óbidos extends through two branches: Braço do Bom Sucesso towards West, and the Braço da Barrosa facing East. It also borders the municipality of Caldas da Rainha (North) with the Parish Councils of Foz do Arelho and Nadadouro, and the municipality of Óbidos (South) with the Parish Councils of Vau and Saint Maria.
It has a maximum length of 6 kilometres and a width that varies from 1 and 1,5 km, with a NW-SW orientation. According to history books, the Lagoon was actually much larger having reached, in earlier times, the Castle walls of Óbidos.
The natural tendency of the Lagoon of Óbidos is to close its connection to the sea, become a swamp and eventually disappear. Also, with the human presence, silting has increased mainly due to the constant changes that have occurred in the lagoon and which have lead to the accumulation large sediment deposits. However, the population has tried to invert the situation by intervening through dredging, increasing the profundity of the lagoon.