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MØM Brewers
Caminha · Portugal
Caminha on the Galician border
Caminha is known as a border town where the River Minho meets the Atlantic, with Galicia on the far bank. Read on for its medieval walls and gates, a weekly fair founded in 1291, a town that kept out French troops and 2 craft breweries.
2 breweries · 1 venue
Caminha is a border town in the Alto Minho, in the district of Viana do Castelo, where the River Minho meets the Atlantic, with Galicia on the far bank. The names "Camenae" or "Camina" appear in the Suevic parish organisation of the 5th century, and in 1060 Ferdinand the Great of León made Caminha the seat of a county he called "Caput Mini".
Its position made it an outpost of Portuguese military strategy against Castile and León. King Dinis had the walls enlarged and two more towers built, raising their number to thirteen: ten towers and three gates, the Porta do Sol, the Porta Nova and the Porta do Marques. On 24 July 1284 he granted the town its first charter, and in 1291 he founded its fair, held then on the third day of every month and today every Wednesday in the Largo da Feira. The Feira de Todos os Santos, on 1 November, is the largest fair of the year and draws Portuguese and Spanish visitors alike.
In 1390 João I granted the town the privileges of a "free town", which boosted local seafaring and trade, and building of the Igreja Matriz began in 1428. Ships left its port for various parts of Europe. In February 1809, during the second French invasion, Caminha was attacked by Marshal Soult's troops; the help of the townspeople to the few soldiers of Lieutenant-Colonel Champalimaud kept the French out.
Around the municipality, the heritage listed by the council ranges from the Dólmen da Barrosa and the Cividade de Âncora to the Casa das Pitas in the town itself, while the Serra de Arga rises in the south.
Caminha adds 2 craft breweries to its river-mouth setting. After a walk inside the old walls, travellers can see what is being brewed this close to the Galician border.
Breweries in Caminha
Bars in Caminha
Frequently asked questions
Caminha is a border town in the Alto Minho, in the district of Viana do Castelo, where the River Minho meets the Atlantic and Galicia lies on the far bank. Its position made it an outpost of Portuguese military strategy against Castile and León, and ships once left its port for various parts of Europe.
The fair is held every Wednesday in the Largo da Feira. King Dinis founded it in 1291, when it took place on the third day of every month. The largest fair of the year is held on 1 November, All Saints' Day, and draws Portuguese and Spanish visitors alike, a reminder that Galicia lies just across the river.
King Dinis enlarged the walls and added two towers, bringing the total to thirteen: ten towers and three gates, the Porta do Sol, the Porta Nova and the Porta do Marques. The walls defended a town that, in February 1809, kept out Marshal Soult's French troops with the help of its townspeople.
Caminha has 2 craft breweries, adding local brewing to its river-mouth setting. After a walk inside the old walls, travellers can see what is being brewed this close to the Galician border, in a town whose port once traded with various parts of Europe and whose main church was begun in 1428.
The heritage listed by the town council ranges from the Dólmen da Barrosa and the Cividade de Âncora elsewhere in the municipality to the Casa das Pitas in the town itself, while the Serra de Arga rises to the south. In the town, building of the parish church began in 1428.