Olivenza between Spanish and Portuguese architecture

Olivenza combines Spanish and Portuguese architectural styles in its built heritage. The townscape brings together medieval fortress architecture, religious buildings, museums and paths through the landscape.

Culture and History

The Castillo de Olivenza was built over the remains of a Templar fortress. The Torre del Homenaje is more than 40 metres high and offers views over Olivenza. This tower contains medieval graffiti that represents particularly notable historical traces: some examples are more than 700 years old, and the documented graffiti comprise up to twelve typological groups.

The González Santana Museum is located in the historic Alcázar district, in the Panadería del Rey and in the building of the former Chamber of Agriculture. The Santa Casa de la Misericordia also tells of the town’s long history. It was founded on 20 November 1501; its present building has Manueline origins and is shaped mainly by Baroque alterations from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Iglesia de Santa María del Castillo was built between 1584 and 1627 and combines late Renaissance elements with Portuguese Baroque. The Iglesia de la Magdalena is an example of Portuguese Manueline architecture from the early 16th century. Another building is described as the town’s only modernist house; it was built after Olivenza’s change of nationality towards the end of the 19th century or at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Museo José Hidalgo Marcos is located in the chapel of the parish schools of the Sacred Heart. On display are large-format photographs, historical documents, contemporary objects and clothing, personal correspondence, and a reconstruction of his study. The museum also preserves a partial archive of José Hidalgo Marcos’s correspondence, estimated at more than 42,000 letters.

The Museo Papercraf presents a collection created entirely from paper, with true-to-scale replicas of monuments from around the world, pop-culture figures and hyperrealistic animals. It is considered Spain’s first papercraft museum.

Nature and Landscape

The Sierra de Alor near the pedanía of San Jorge de Alor in Olivenza has great faunal and botanical value. In spring, peonies and numerous orchids, among other plants, bloom there. Several viewpoints in the Sierra de Alor offer views of the Llanos de Olivenza and Portugal.

The Gran Lago de Alqueva reaches the municipality of Olivenza in the area of the lake’s inlets, particularly around Villarreal. There are wide views across the lake from there. The Gran Lago de Alqueva Visitor Centre is located together with the tourist information office in the former San Juan de Dios monastery in Olivenza.

The Puente Ajuda was built in 1510 on the orders of the Portuguese King Manuel I and was intended to connect Olivenza with Elvas. Its consolidated ruins cannot be visited; instead, the new adjacent bridge is used.

Routes and Walking Tours

The Olivenza Amurallada route leads to four historic city walls. It includes remains of the original Templar wall as well as 17th-century bastions, including San Blas and El Príncipe. Olivenza Regia is an approximately two-hour walking tour with thirteen stops that showcases the city’s monumental heritage and its close connection to the Spanish and Portuguese crowns.

The Ruta de las Iglesias y Pedanías de Olivenza can be travelled by private vehicle or as part of an organised group and connects parish churches, vernacular architecture and rural landscapes. The Ruta de los Pasos takes 30 minutes and leads to roadside pasos with curved gables and narrative azulejo panels depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ.

Further destinations: Don Benito, Granja de Torrehermosa, Fuente Del Maestre, Peraleda del Zaucejo, Hornachos, Alange, La Morera and Almendralejo.

Food and Festivals

Olivenza is known for a characteristic dessert: a cake made mainly from ground almonds, sugar and egg yolk, with a thin pastry layer. Local customs also shape the course of the year. Local associations make satirical or critical puppet figures and subsequently burn them in the Midsummer bonfire.

A Portuguese-influenced festival takes place in May, during which a white-clad girl crowned with flowers is surrounded by dances and flower petals. On the first weekend of March, Olivenza also hosts a festival of regional tourist interest celebrating the beginning of Spain’s bullfighting season.

For the overarching travel overview: Badajoz.