THE TOWER OF THE ANDRADE FAMILY

Pontedueme is a town with deep history linked, during the Middle Ages, to the house of Andrade, one of the most important Galician noble families. Pontedueme, and its coast, was an important place in Roman times. The current town was founded in 1270 by a concession of king Alfonso X the wise. Another concession in 1371 would award lordship of the town to Fernán Pérez of Andrade the beautiful.

The urban development is configured around the Betanzos-Ferrol axis of communication, inside walls with four gates, of which only scarce remains are left which shape the walls of the atrium of the parish church of Santiago. On its inside, with an urban drawing of streets that rise from the riverside up the slope of the hill, crossed by other roads, are several squares where we find various buildings which stand testament to its economic activity and social and cultural importance.

In the urban silhouette, a tower at the side of a garden is highlighted. The tower is the only thing that remains of the old palace of the Andrade family that occupied the space of the current square and market. It was probably constructed at the end of the 14th century by Fernán Pérez de Andrade, who also built a tower on top of the hill, in Nogueirosa, and can be seen from the town. The palace was partially demolished in 1911 and definitively so in 1936. Currently in the tower are the tourist office and an interpretation centre.