Barcos, located in the Douro region, is one of the six wine villages in the region, which became the county seat between 1263 and 1855. With an area of 9.81 square kilometers and about 600 inhabitants, Barcos is located 4 kilometers from the county seat and is limited, to the east, by the river Távora, to the south by the parishes of Tabuaço and Pinheiros and, to the west, by Santa Leocádia.

Its place name, Boats, refers to the Germanic term “Barc”, not plural, alluding to territorial delimitation and demarcation frameworks, is in the landscape by urban development, denoting, at first glance, that the primitive nucleus was organized around the Igreja Matriz, erected at the time of Nossa Sra. da Assunção and classified as a National Monument. It is worth noting the various medieval buildings, the imposing rooms of the modern era and modest houses of vernacular appearance that intersect in an urban malha of high interest, where some buildings of a more erudite character and function stand out, as an example of the old headquarters of Collegiate that dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

The human occupation is quite long, proven by archaeological vestiges and multiple tracks that surround Mount Sabroso, where vestiges of a castro dating back to the end of the Bronze Age stand. In Mata da Forca we find vestiges of the Roman presence, namely in the ruins still visible from a wine press dug in the rock. According to local tradition, the name of this site derives from the location of an old fork.

Locations of Interest:

– Igreja Matriz de Barcos (Nossa Senhora da Assunção)

– Santuário de Nossa Senhora do Sabroso (Imóvel de Interesse Público)

– Mata da Forca (Imóvel de Interesse Municipal)

– Capela de Santa Bárbara

– Casa da Colegiada

– Casa da Roda dos Expostos

– Antiga Casa da Câmara e Cadeia

– Antigo Paço do Concelho e Tribunal

– Castro do Sabroso

– Troço de Via Romana/Medieval entre Barcos e Sabroso

– Largar da Forca