Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Miranda was a vital stronghold during Portugal's first centuries of independence, and the
Castilians had to be chucked out at least twice: in the early days by Dom João I, and again
in 1710, during the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1545, perhaps as a snub to the in-
creasingly powerful House of Bragança, a diocese was created here - hence the oversized
cathedral.
During a siege by French and Spanish troops in 1762, the castle's powder magazine ex-
ploded, pulverising most of the castle and killing some 400 people. Twenty years later,
shattered Miranda lost its diocese to Bragança. No one paid much attention to Miranda
again until the nearby dam was built on the Douro in the 1950s.
SPEAKING MIRANDÊS
France has Provençal, Britain has Welsh and Gaelic, and Italy has dozens of distinct regional dialects. Portugal,
by contrast, is one of Europe's most monolingual countries, thanks both to its long-stable borders (unchanged
since the 13th century) and to the fact that it was conquered and consolidated within a very short period of time
(less than 200 years).
The region around Miranda do Douro is a significant exception. Because of its proximity to Spain and long
isolation from the rest of Portugal, residents of the towns and villages around Miranda still speak what linguists
now recognise as an entirely distinct language. Closely related to Astur-Leonese - the regional language of the
adjacent Spanish province - Mirandês is in fact closer to Iberian Latin, the language spoken during the Roman
period, than it is to either Portuguese or Spanish.
While Mirandês has largely died out in the city of Miranda do Douro itself, it's still the first language of some
10,000 people in the surrounding villages. The Portuguese government officially recognised it as a second lan-
guage in 1998, and increasingly the region's road signs are bilingual.
In 1882 Portuguese linguist José Leite de Vasconcelos described Mirandês as 'the language of the farms, of
work, of home and love'. The same is true today.
Resurgent local pride in the language is evident in the window display of Miranda do Douro's Papelaria
Andrade, whose collection of Mirandês-language titles includes translations of
Asterix
comic books.
Sights & Activities
It's possible to see the sights of Miranda do Douro in a couple of hours, but the vagaries
of public transport make it almost essential for nondrivers to stay longer.
Museu da Terra de Miranda
(Praça de Dom João III; admission €2, Sun morning free; 9.30am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Wed-Sun, 2.30-5.30pm Tue
summer, 9am-12.30pm & 2-5.30pm Wed-Sun, 2-5.30pm Tue winter)
This modest but attractive museum
sheds light on a unique culture that has preserved millennial traditions into the 21st cen-
tury. The handsome 17th-century building (formerly Miranda's city hall) houses a fascin-
ating collection of local artefacts: ceramics, textiles, clothing, furniture, musical instru-
MUSEUM
