page_title: Tower of Bera
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Tower of Bera / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Rua em Torre de Bera, Almalaguês, Coimbra, Portugal
context_page_description: The Tower of Bera is the remains of a medieval watchtower located in the civil parish of Almalaguês, in the municipality of Coimbra, Portuguese Coimbra.
context_section_description: The tower is situated in an isolated, urban area in the relief of the landscape. It is encircled by dense vegetation and forest, with a dominant panorama over the valley. It  is erected over a rocky outcrop, a short distance from the medieval settlement. In the interior and surrounding the structure are many of the stones from the ruined walls.
  It consists of a regular square plan, conserving the southern and eastern walls. In 1949 it still retained vestiges of the three floors, but most of the upper floors were in ruin. One of the important characteristics was the existence of rudimentary embrasures on the second floor, indicting the need to maintain military vigilance against the Muslim forces. In 1952, in his second text on the tower, Nogueira Gonçalves lamented "its state...of advanced ruin", altering to the fact the northwest angle had fallen and that large cracks had in most parts of the tower.
  It still retains the medieval character of the Middle Ages, along with costumes and traditions from this period, much of the study associated with the "life" of the tower have been completed by Dr. Margarida Ribeiro. In 1938, it was the runner-up in the "A Aldeia mais portuguesa de Portugal" (The Most Portuguese Town of Portugal). Studies by Dr. Ribeiro suggest that there are oral traditions speaking to a round roof/ceiling. Visiting in 1949, A. Nogueira Gonçalves indicated that the tower gate was found on the ground; its rectangular door was considered simple in terms of construction.
caption: The medieval road leading to the tower of Bera, on the edge of the settlement
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