“This award is in recognition of all the work carried out in the development of Castelo Branco. The Barrocal Park is a symbol of our city and has filled the entire community with pride”, said the mayor of Castelo Branco, José Augusto Alves, on 2 June in a statement.

The park was included in a list of seven national projects nominated in a competition organised by the Portuguese Group of ProGEO - European Association for the Conservation of Geological Heritage.

The objective of this award is to distinguish a municipality that stands out in the implementation of conservation and enhancement strategies for the geological heritage of its municipality, in addition to raising awareness among the general public to recognise the value of this heritage as an integral part of its natural heritage.

According to ProGEO, the jury made up of members of the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), the Portuguese Association of Geologists (APG) and ProGEO unanimously decided to award the prize to Barrocal, recognising “the high quality of the work carried out in the Parque do Barrocal, in addition to the commitment and investment made by the municipality of Castelo Branco”.

This is already the third prize that the Barrocal Natural Park has won, after, in October 2020, having won the “Architecture Master Prize”, in the category of public spaces, and a month later, having been recognised with the “World Prize” Architecture News Awards - Wan Awards”, in the urban landscapes category.

The park opened to the public in November 2020 and has received more than 17,000 visitors.

It has 40 hectares, has seven viewpoints, several interesting geological formations, walkways, nature trails, playground, bird watching and many other natural attractions.