Let's read about this star, what happened to her in history …
The Fort of Our Lady of Grace (Fort Conde de Lippe) is located 12 kilometers from the Portuguese-Spanish border and one kilometer north of the border town of Elvas, of which it is part of the fortifications and which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012. Since the 13th century, when Elvas was recaptured from the Moors, the city served as an outpost on the Portuguese-Spanish border, repeatedly repelling attacks by Spanish troops.
The bastions and forts around Elvas were built over several centuries, turning it into a fortress city capable of withstanding a long siege of the enemy. Weaknesses in the defense of Elvas were identified during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763) - on the top of a hill located a kilometer from the city, the Spaniards set up an artillery battery and fired at the Portuguese positions from long-range guns. To "patch" the hole in the city's defenses, King Jose I of Portugal instructed Marshal Wilhelm von Schaumburg de Lippe to draw up a plan for the modernization of the fortress.
In July 1763, under the leadership of Count Lippe, the construction of the fort began, which lasted almost 30 years and was completed in 1792. The official name of the fort is Fort Conde de Lippe, although it gained worldwide fame as the Fort of Divine Grace (after the name of the chapel on the site of which it was built). The fort received its first baptism of fire in 1801, during the military conflict between Spain and Portugal (the War of the Oranges), then, in 1811, it withstood the siege of the Napoleonic army under the command of Marshal Soult (the French, who intensively fired at the fort of Grasse from artillery guns, never were able to take it).
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From 1834 to 1975, the Divine Grace Fort was used as a military prison, in 2014 it was transferred to the Municipality of Elvas for restoration work. The reconstruction of the fort lasted 11 months, and 6.1 million euros were spent on its restoration. Fort Graça was opened to visitors on November 27, 2015, the opening ceremony was attended by the President of Portugal Cavacu Silva and First Lady Maria Cavacu Silva. The Divine Grace Fort is included in the list of the most impregnable defensive structures in the world, recognized as a masterpiece of European military architecture of the 18th century.
The fort, shaped like a polygonal star in plan, has three defense lines, five bastions and four ravelins. In the center of the fort there is a redoubt (a two-story round tower) with artillery batteries, as well as the governor's house, a chapel and a water reservoir (cistern). Powerful defensive walls are encircled by a dry moat; one could get into the fort through massive gates and three secret passages. Currently, the fort has an open-air museum and cultural events.
And next to it is Elvas - a city and a fortress at the same time.
The first fortress walls, Primeira Muralha Islamica, around a settlement on a hill above the Guadiana River, were erected by Muslims who conquered the land in 714. At the very top of the hill a castle has grown. The Porta do Miradeiro and Porta do Templo gates remain from the ancient Arab wall. During the years of the Reconquista, the fortress was more than once captured by the Portuguese and again recaptured by the Moors. In the XII century, the Arabs built a second fortress wall. Fragments of fortifications, several gates, the Torre Fernandin tower have survived from this period on the streets of the city.
The domination of Christians in Elvas was established in 1226. In the XIV century, by order of King Fernando I, the third ring of walls was built - Muralha Fernandina. From these powerful fortifications are the ruins of the Porta de Badajoz gate and the Torre Medieval tower. In 1513 King Manuel I elevated Elvas to the status of a city.
In the 17th century, the Elvas fortress was modernized taking into account the development of artillery of that time. castles and their owners, knights clad in armor, have become an anachronism. After the restoration of independence of the Kingdom of Portugal, a new line of bastions appeared, erected on the Dutch model. Construction began at the behest of the king and was led by the Dutch military engineer and architect João Paschasil Cosmander (Jan Siermans). The impregnable fortress withstood the siege of the Castilians for a century and a half.
Today the city-fortress Elvas is a complex of fortifications with a total length of over 8 km. The walls encircle the urban space of 300 hectares. The complex includes 7 bastions and 4 half-bastions, curtains (low walls that can stop cannonballs) with three double gates, a redoubt. Inside there are preserved old casemates, armories, an arsenal, and the building of the Military Council. At the top of the hill is the inner line of defense: a wall with two towers, a quadrangular castle (Castelo Elvas), rebuilt during the time of Manuel I. Walls and towers can be climbed for a small fee to view the defensive system.
Against the background of the gray walls of the military buildings of Elvas, white and colored facades of residential buildings, temples and secular buildings stand out. The city and its castle are one of the most sought-after sights of the country. In 1906 the walled city became the first national monument in Portugal.