Anyone who enters Barcelos via the bridge over the Cávado River soon finds a landscaped space where the ruins of the former Palace of the Counts of Barcelos witness the medieval historical past. 

This is what remains of a building from the early 20th century. XV due to D. Afonso, 8th Earl of Barcelos and 1st Duke of Bragança and one of the most emblematic monuments of the city. 

With a palace-castle appearance it was in its time a noble building that revealed the growing power and wealth of the king-bastard owner, King John I, imposing itself on the urban landscape with its tall straw chimneys.

It remained the residence of the Counts until the 19th century. It began to fall into ruin, sped up by the 1755 earthquake. What remained was, quite appropriately, the setting for an open-air Archaeological Museum, which we can visit there. 

In the museum we can find pieces that witness the settlement of the region since Prehistory. Medieval sarcophagi, heraldic symbols, landmarks of the House of Braganza, various architectural elements from dismantled churches and convents, and emblazoned stones of old noble houses complete the archaeological exhibit on display.

Particular attention is drawn to the Senhor do Galo Cruise from Barcelinhos (one of the parishes of Barcelos located on the other side of the river), dating from the early 19th century. XVIII that tells us in bas relief the old legend of the ex-libris of the city.

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