Peapix

  • Bing Gallery
  • Extension
Peapix
Bing Gallery
Extension
  • United Kingdom
    All
    Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil

Bing Gallery

Australia Canada China Germany France India Japan Spain United Kingdom United States Italy Brazil
  1. Bing Gallery
  2. United Kingdom
  3. 2021
  4. June 09
  5. Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort near Elvas, Portugal
arrow_back_ios arrow_forward_ios Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort near Elvas, Portugal

June 09, 2021

Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort near Elvas, Portugal

© Luis Pina Photography/Shutterstoc

A fort takes a star turn

Perched on a hillside high above the hot, dry plains of eastern Portugal, the Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort has been called a masterpiece of 18th-century military architecture. The thick walls surrounding it are shaped in a star pattern, with pentagonal bastions jutting out from the curtain wall at the corners. We're looking at one of those bastions in the centre of our image.

A stone's throw from the Spanish border, the Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort was built to defend the garrison border town of Elvas. It's a region shaped by war. The Spanish laid siege to the area during the Portuguese Restoration War (1640-1668), but after the Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort was built a century later, the town was never defeated. With its 144 cannons, the fort resisted an attack by another wave of Spanish forces during the 1801 War of the Oranges and, 10 years later, drove back an invading French army during the Peninsular War.

Eventually the fort became a political prison, which it remained until 1974 when it was abandoned and fell into ruin. But it was restored after 2012, when Unesco recognised the entire historical centre of Elvas - including the Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort and the 16th-century Amoreira Aqueduct - as a World Heritage Site.

grass sky outdoor city cloud landscape building house castle railroad stone

Related Images

Butchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, CanadaButchart Gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada
Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, ChileTorres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile
Donkeys in a valley near Rhyolite, Nevada, United StatesDonkeys in a valley near Rhyolite, Nevada, United States
Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern IrelandDunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, BrazilStriated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
Formal Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, FranceFormal Château de Villandry, Loire Valley, France
Joshua trees under the Milky Way, California, United StatesJoshua trees under the Milky Way, California, United States
Wild baby rabbits in springWild baby rabbits in spring

Today on Bing

Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Bardenas, Navarra, Spain

Bardenas Reales Biosphere Reserve and Natural Park, Bardenas, Navarra, Spain

Jun 09, 2024
Hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Türkiye

Hot air balloons in Cappadocia, Türkiye

Jun 09, 2023
Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway

Sweetheart Abbey, Dumfries and Galloway

Jun 09, 2022
Sunrise at the chalk pinnacles of Old Harry Rocks, near Studland, Dorset

Sunrise at the chalk pinnacles of Old Harry Rocks, near Studland, Dorset

Jun 09, 2020
Crown Fountain, by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, in Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Crown Fountain, by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, in Millennium Park, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Jun 09, 2019

Related Tags

grass outdoor sky plant lush landscape cloud animal grassy tree colorful arranged water hillside field horse garden flower botanical garden park
Share photo
Share
Pin
Tweet
Line
  • © 2025 Peapix.com
  • API
  • App
  • Privacy
The images are provided for wallpaper use only.