Exploring Macedo de Cavaleiros and the Azibo
Macedo de Cavaleiros lies in the centre of the Nordeste Transmontano, where visitors come in summer for bathing at the Azibo reservoir. Read on for the Terras de Cavaleiros Geopark, museums of honey and olive oil, the legend of two mace-wielding knights and the São Pedro holiday.
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Macedo de Cavaleiros lies in the centre of the Nordeste Transmontano, in north-eastern Portugal. The municipality's history traces settlement back through recent prehistory, the Iron Age Zelas, Roman times and the Suebi and Visigoths. In the early 12th century the territory was incorporated into the County of Portugal and split between the Terras de Lampaças and the Terras de Ledra. Local legend says the name comes from two knights (cavaleiros) of Moorish times who fought with heavy maces and so impressed the king that he named the place in their honour. Figures from the area include Nuno Martins de Chacim, tutor to King Dinis, and Martim Gonçalves de Macedo, who at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 saved the future John I after he had been knocked down in combat. The municipality itself was created in the administrative reform of 1853, absorbing the old municipalities of Chacim and Cortiços; the seat became a town ten years later and a city on 13 May 1999. The municipal holiday is São Pedro, the city's patron, on 29 June. In summer, visitors come for bathing at the Azibo reservoir (Albufeira do Azibo). Since 2014 the area has had the Terras de Cavaleiros Geopark, part of the European Geoparks Network, and its museums include the Honey and Beekeeping Museum, the Real Filatório de Chacim and an olive oil museum at the Solar dos Cortiços.
The craft beer scene in Macedo de Cavaleiros is still waiting to be discovered, so look to the wider Nordeste Transmontano when planning where to find a local brew.
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Frequently asked questions
In summer, visitors come for bathing at the Azibo reservoir, the Albufeira do Azibo, in the municipality of Macedo de Cavaleiros. The area also has the Terras de Cavaleiros Geopark, part of the European Geoparks Network since 2014, in the centre of the Nordeste Transmontano in north-eastern Portugal.
The museums of Macedo de Cavaleiros include the Honey and Beekeeping Museum, the Real Filatório de Chacim and an olive oil museum at the Solar dos Cortiços. Chacim and Cortiços were once municipalities in their own right, absorbed when the municipality was created in the administrative reform of 1853.
Local legend says the name comes from two knights, or cavaleiros, of Moorish times who fought with heavy maces and so impressed the king that he named the place in their honour. The seat became a town ten years after the municipality was created in 1853, and a city on 13 May 1999.
The municipal holiday of Macedo de Cavaleiros is São Pedro, the city's patron, on 29 June. Figures from the area include Martim Gonçalves de Macedo, who at the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 saved the future John I after he had been knocked down, and Nuno Martins de Chacim, tutor to King Dinis.