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Elvas
Overview
Elvas (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈɛlvɐʃ] ), officially the City of Elvas (Portuguese: Cidade de Elvas), is a Portuguese municipality, former episcopal city and frontier fortress of easternmost central Portugal, located in the district of Portalegre in Alentejo. It is situated about 200 kilometres (120 mi) east of Lisbon, and about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) west of the Spanish fortress of Badajoz, by the Madrid-Badajoz-Lisbon railway. The municipality population as of 2011 was 23,078, in an area of 631.29 square kilometres (243.74 sq mi). The city itself had a population of 16,640 as of 2011.
Elvas is among the finest examples of intensive usage of the trace italienne (star fort) in military architecture, and has been a World Heritage Site since 30 June 2012. The inscribed site name is Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications.
Facts
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Source
WBP almanac
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Borderland character
Elvas has long lived under the shadow of its frontier, a fact that still colours daily life. The city’s streets echo with a subtle mingling of Portuguese and Spanish rhythms, from the cadence of market cries to the occasional Andalusian guitar that drifts from a nearby tavern. This borderhood nurtures a pragmatic hospitality: locals are accustomed to visitors, yet they prefer a quiet exchange over overt sales pitches. If you linger in the Praça da República, you’ll notice the way the locals politely offer a glass of locally produced wine, preferring conversation to tourism‑driven spectacle. Embracing this measured openness lets you glimpse a community that has balanced defence and trade for centuries.
The culinary perimeter
Beyond the fortified walls, Elvas’ gastronomy reflects its role as a crossroads. The region’s dry climate produces robust olives and a distinctive, slightly smoky olive oil that flavours the traditional migas de carne. What is less known to travellers is the subtle infusion of nearby Spanish spices in the local chouriço, giving it a depth that differs from its northern counterparts. A modest taberna near the river offers a plate of batatas à murro drizzled with this oil, accompanied by a glass of bardeco, a sweet, fortified wine that benefits from the hot, sun‑baked vines of the Alentejo hinterland. Sampling these dishes in their native setting offers a tactile sense of the area’s agricultural resilience.