Borba
Borba is known for marble and wine, the pillars of a town at the heart of the Alentejo marble zone. Read on for the legends behind its name, a castle keep and gates, a decisive 1665 battle and a local custom of sharing wine with bread and olives.
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Borba lies in the Alentejo, in the north of the district of Évora, at the heart of the "Zona dos Mármores", the marble zone named after its quarrying and stone-working industry. Marble and wine are, according to the town council, the main pillars of the local economy, and olive oil, cheese and sausages complete the table.
The council gives three explanations for the name: a large barbel fish said to have been found in a fountain in the castle, the Greek word borboros, meaning mud at the bottom of still water, or the Arabic burj, meaning tower. Borba was taken from the Moors in 1217, in the reign of Afonso II, by the Military Order of Avis. Dinis granted it a charter in 1302 and had the town walled; the barbel was chosen as the municipality's emblem when the charter was granted. Of the castle, the keep and two gates, the Porta de Estremoz and the Porta do Celeiro, survive. Manuel I granted a new charter on 1 June 1512.
According to the council, Spanish rule and the Restoration War ruined the municipality and cost it population. In the summer of 1662, after taking the castle, the army of João of Austria hanged its governor, Rodrigo da Cunha Ferreira, and two other Portuguese captains; the street was remembered as the Rua dos Enforcados before becoming the Rua Direita. On 17 June 1665 the Battle of Montes Claros, fought on Borba soil, marked the defeat of the Castilian armies in the Restoration War. Peace brought new prosperity, and the Fonte das Bicas, the town hall and several palaces date from this period. From the early 20th century marble grew in importance, especially between 1910 and 1926.
Join the local custom of "Fazer as Onze": a glass of wine with a typical snack, bread and olives, which the council promotes in the historic centre. A few kilometres away rises the Serra d'Ossa.
The craft beer scene in Borba is still waiting to be discovered. After the marble quarries and the wine, travellers can look around nearby Estremoz, Vila Viçosa and the wider Alentejo to see what is being poured there.
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Frequently asked questions
Borba lies in the Alentejo, in the north of the district of Évora, at the heart of the marble zone named after its quarrying and stone-working industry. According to the town council, marble and wine are the main pillars of the local economy, with olive oil, cheese and sausages completing the table.
The town council gives three explanations: a large barbel fish said to have been found in a fountain in the castle, the Greek word borboros, meaning mud at the bottom of still water, or the Arabic burj, meaning tower. The barbel became the municipality's emblem when King Dinis granted the town its charter in 1302.
Of the castle walled by King Dinis, the keep and two gates survive. The town was shaped by the Restoration War: in 1662 the governor and two captains were hanged in what became the main street, and in 1665 a decisive battle was fought on its soil. Peace brought a fountain, the town hall and palaces.
It is a local habit of stopping for a glass of wine with a typical snack, bread and olives, which the town council promotes in the historic centre. It is an easy way to taste the wine that, together with marble, has long been one of the main pillars of the town's economy.