PortugalPortoMissionfrom1996to2003
Pombal
The town of Pombal rests at the foot of its medieval castle, evoking the memory of the Marquis of Pompal who acquired a property locally and where he died in 1782
The castle, which was built originally in 1161 by Gualdim Pais, Grand Master of the Orders of Knights Templars, was modified in the 16th century and restored in 1940.
Source, Michelin Tourist Guide Book

Pombal chapel
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The chapel in Pombal consists of two office suites on the ground floor of an office/apartment building. The building is located near the center of town on a dead end street. The squarefootage of the chapel is large for the number of active members.
The Pombal castle sits on a small wooded hill overlooking the town of Pombal. There is a legend about how the castle and the city received its name, Pombal, which means dove. While the castle was being built, the Knights of the Templars noticed that the area was frequented by wild doves. Even after construction of the castle, the dove remained. Pombal Castle
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Castle Gate
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The gate to the Pombal castle. This gate was never required to be bolted in defense of the castle. The castle was never attacked in its 800 year history.
Just inside the castle door are two underground cisterns. The cisterns are caped with cylindrical stones with holes in the middle as you can see here. These cistern was fed with rainwater from an extensive system of conduits. Castle well
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Outside castle wall
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This is a view along the outside wall of the castle. From this view you can see the sloping hills that fall away from the castle walls. The approaches to the castle are steep on all sides. There is a nice walkway down to the city from the castle.
The Marquis of Pombal is the most famous citizen of the town of Pombal. the Marquis rose to political power during the rein of Don José I in the mid 18th century. The Marquis is known for reconstructing Lisboa following the earthquake of November 1, 1755. Under his leadership, most of Lisboa was leveled following the earthquake. He arranged for broad, straight avenues to replace the typically narrow and winding streets so common. See the pictures of Porto. As a result down town Lisboa has a much more modern appearance compared to Porto. Marquis of Pombal
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Burger King in Pombal
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As small as Pombal is, it is one of the few cities in Northern Portugal that has a Burger King. Whenever the West family passed through Pombal we made it a point to stop here. There is a large azulejo depicting the Pombal castle decorating one wall of the restaurant. Pictured here are Elder Cooper and Cannon along with the West Family.