The village lies in the municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra, a zone of many contrasts, now with deep, tranquil valleys, now with wild, rocky peaks. The village seems to be piled onto a tiny hill called the Serra do Muradal.  It is almost a peninsula in the swift waters of the Zêzere, which met a hard obstacle here that they had to flow around. The village was built on that large area jutting out from the river’s right bank.

The municipality of Pampilhosa da Serra has a natural heritage of incalculable value, whether in geological terms or from the point of view of its beauty and landscape. The  Garganta do Zêzere  gorge - part of the Geopark Naturtejo  – is in the vicinity of the village (at the exit for Cambas).

Proximity to the river and the riverside ecosystem encourages certain species of large birds to stay, such as the grey heron and the cormorant (in Autumn and Winter).

Having arrived here, the Zêzere has already twisted itself through the hard, winding banks of these schist mountain ranges. And it has already been swelled with the waters rushing down a pipeline from the Stª Luzia Dam to Esteiro. Many stones have yet to roll before it rests for a while in the dams of Cabril, Bouçã and Castelo de Bode. Then, awaiting it in Constância, will be the Tagus.

Remains in the vicinity – especially an anthropomorphic tomb – date settlement of this site to the High Middle Ages, relating it with the activity of gold mining. It was mentioned in 1320 in the parish inventory (a kind of directory of churches and monasteries existing at that time).

In ecclesiastic terms, it was a Commendam* of the Order of Christ, until at least 1679. In the second half of the 18th century, it even had court judges and militia with a Captain of Ordenanças (military territorial organization). It belonged to the municipality of Fajão, which was abolished in 1855.

*Commendam
An honour granted in olden times to ecclesiastics or knights of the military orders that included the right to draw revenues from the lands they held “in commendam”

Origin of the name
In one of the versions of the "Portugalliae" by Fernando Álvaro Seco (1600) – deemed to be one of the first accounts of the whole of continental Portuguese territory – Janeiro do Fundo appears at the site of what is now Janeiro de Baixo. The name must have changed to its present form over time.

At this spot, the waters of the Zêzere  met a hard, rocky obstacle that they had to circumvent. The village was built on that large area jutting out of the river’s right bank.

The fabric of the village is complex, with buildings thrown together in a seemingly random way. Houses in the settlement sprang up in an irregular pattern, adapting themselves as best they could to the slopes of the terrain. The walls of the buildings, in mortared masonry, are extremely old , and the many instances of renovation work by the villagers have given new life to Janeiro de Baixo. The predominant construction material is schist, with the unique feature that walls and facades also incorporate rounded rocks in light colours gathered from the riverbed. Many facades of the buildings have been rendered and painted, mostly in traditional colours.

Worth a visit:

• Mother church
• Chapel of Santo Cristo
• Fonte de mergulho (spring with tank for drawing water)
  Monument, datable to the 18th century, built in schist. Here we can understand where and how water was collected for domestic consumption.

• Old Primary School
  The old primary school was built under the so-called "Centenaries Plan" launched by the Estado Novo. Subsequent to the conversion work that respected its architectural lines, the building now houses PONTO MAIS.

• Chapel of São Sebastião
  A modest chapel close to the Largo da Igreja, with recent porch of wooden structure. Also in this village, there is a feast and celebration called the Festa do Bodo held in honour of St. Sebastian on his feast day (20 January).

• Wayside shrine (to the souls in purgatory)
  Built in schist, on the Rua do Outeiro, at the entrance to the village.

• Mill carved out of the rock
  The water mill (in ruins) is a unique item due to the effort involved in carving out the rock;

• Travis
  This recently restored spot is where animals used to be branded.

• Traditional ovens
  For baking bread and cooking meals..

• Horticultural produce
• Arbutus
• Olives and olive oil
• Wine

De Norte
Na A1 sair em Coimbra (saída 12). Passe Coimbra, tome a N17 (Estrada da Beira) em direção à Guarda e saia na N236 no sentido da Lousã. Ao chegar à Lousã continue na direção de Góis, pela EN342. Após 15km, ainda antes de Góis, na rotunda do Cimo do Alvém (Portela de Góis), cortar à direita para a N2 na direção de Pampilhosa da Serra durante 13 km. Continue então pela N112 passando a Pampilhosa da Serra ao fim de 22 km. Continue pela N112 em direção ao Fundão mas vire à esquerda para Janeiro de Baixo, após 10km, seguindo agora pela N344. Passados 2km corte à direita para Janeiro de Baixo, pela N546. Após 6km de descida chegará a Janeiro de Baixo.

De Sul
Na A1 sair para Abrantes/Castelo Branco (saída 7 – A23). Seguir pela A23 até à saída 23 (Castelo Branco Norte). Seguir na N112 em direção à Pampilhosa da Serra durante 44 km. Ao chegar ao Orvalho, na rotunda, vire na em direção do Fundão. Seguir pela N238 durante 5km, virando então à esquerda na direção de Urgueiro e Janeiro de Baixo. Atravesse a ponte sobre o rio Zêzere e ao fim de 5,5km estará em Janeiro de Baixo.


Ou, em alternativa:
Na A1 sair para Abrantes/Castelo Branco (saída 7 – A23). Seguir pela A23 até à saída para o IC8/Pombal. Seguir até Pedrogão Grande, saia pela N2 e depois siga a N343 até à Vila de Pampilhosa da Serra. Tome depois a N112 no sentido de Castelo Branco e siga as indicações até Janeiro de Baixo.

De Espanha
Na A23 sair em direcção a Fundão-Sul. No Fundão seguir pela N238 durante 40km, até cortar à direita para Janeiro de Cima (EM518). Após 3,5km passará por Janeiro de Cima e continue para Janeiro de Baixo. Atravesse a ponte sobre o rio Zêzere e ao fim de 3,7km estará em Janeiro de Baixo.