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Leaving Vila de Rei in the direction of Sertã, 1.8 km later, you'll find the turnoff to Picoto da Melriça - Centro Geodésico de Portugal, 900m later and you'll find yourself at the Centro Geodésico de Portugal, which means you're in the center of the country.
The geodesic landmark is a nine-meter-high masonry pyramid, begun in 1802 and located at an altitude of 587 meters. From the top, there is an excellent 360º view over the entire region and it is possible to distinguish the lands of the surrounding area.
The Geodesy Museum, inaugurated in 2002, also has an exhibition room, a small auditorium and a souvenir store.
Serra da Melriça, known locally as “Picoto da Melriça”, is a Portuguese mountain range located about two kilometers northeast of the town of Vila de Rei, seat of the municipality of the same name in the Castelo Branco district.
The importance of this mountain is due to the fact that it is home to the Geodetic Center of mainland Portugal. It is home to the standard geodetic landmark “TF4”, from which the angular observations of the other geodetic vertices throughout mainland Portugal began.
The coordinates of the geodesic landmark are: latitude: 39º 41′ 40.20619 N; longitude: 8º 07′ 50.06228 W. There is also a 1st Order Pyramid that “symbolizes” the geodesic center with the coordinates: 39º 41′ 40.20619 N; 8º 7′ 50.06228 W. Contrary to what many people think, there is no geodesic landmark with rectangular coordinates (0,0).
