Castel Rodrigo

The earliest occupation dates from the Muslim period, when a beautiful cistern was built in the centre of the village. The walls, with their characteristic circular towers, were built by King Afonso IX of León, while the church of Rocamador was a must for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela, who had been coming here since the time of the Kingdom of León. Castelo Rodrigo was the scene of important historical battles, including the Battle of Salgadelas (1664), which is now being re-enacted in a high-profile event. The exemplary restoration of the Historic Village has included various facilities and infrastructure to facilitate visits, but also to improve the quality of life of residents and workers.
As part of its governance and networking model, the Association has created strategic thematic groups in different areas of specialisation and in correlation with the key areas of action included in the Strategy. Water efficiency is a strategic axis, and to this end the project 'Community-based urban water management | Harnessing water from alternative sources in the Historic Villages of Portugal (Cisterns of the Castles as an asset to increase water efficiency)' has been designed, taking into account the climate challenges and the vulnerability of the AHP network area to drought and desertification risks.
Although the Historic Villages were originally equipped with rainwater collection and storage systems, they currently have no functioning systems. This project aims to provide a viable response by valorising the historic storage structures (castle cisterns) and collection systems (wells, mines, etc.) that exist in the villages. An experimental pilot project is planned to assess the village as a whole and study the feasibility of storing and reusing rainwater for non-human uses that are essential to the management and quality of the urban and rural spaces immediately surrounding the village (e.g. irrigation and washing of public spaces, firefighting, cooling towers and, in the case of a network that may include private spaces - buildings, for the non-human consumption needs there). The implementation of the project in question is awaiting the outcome of the analysis of the application.
The way in which the village has managed to make everyday life more dynamic has earned it the title of Best Tourism Village 2021 by the World Tourism Organisation.
The Historic Village of Castelo Rodrigo has a wireless network for free use in public spaces and has developed actions in the field of physical and digital accessibility, two networking projects promoted by the AHP-ADT with the 10 municipalities that make part of the Historic Villages of Portugal Network.