Forte Príncipe da Beira

Principe da Beira (Forte Principe de Rivera) is a fortification on the lower part of the Guaporé River close to its confluence with the Mamoré River in the Brazilian state of Rondônia.

Forte Príncipe da Beira
Costa Marques, Rondônia in Brazil
View of the outer wall
Forte Príncipe da Beira
Location of Forte Príncipe da Beira in Brazil
Coordinates12°25′40″S 64°25′22″W
TypeFort
Height10 m
Length1 km
Site history
Built1776 (1776)1783
In use1889 (1889)

The fort was built from 1776 to 1783 and is one of only two forts that the Portuguese Empire built in the inner regions of Brazil. The Portuguese built it to secure their border against the expanding Spanish Empire, which controlled the areas to the southwest of Rondônia. The military use of the fort was abandoned in 1889.

The fort has an outer wall with a height of 10 m and a length of 1 km. It has four bastions, which originally carried 14 cannons each. Only one of those cannons still remains today. Inside the wall there are ruins of a chapel, soldier quarters, a prison and various utility buildings.

References

    • Regis St. Louis, Andrew Draffen: Brazil. Lonely Planet 2005, ISBN 1741040213, p. 666


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