Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications
Coordinates: 38°52′50″N 7°9′48″W / 38.88056°N 7.16333°W
| Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
|
Walls and fortifications of Elvas | |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | C (iv) |
| Reference | 1367 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Coordinates | 38°52′50″N 7°9′48″W / 38.88056°N 7.16333°W |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2012 (36th Session) |
The Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications is a Unesco World Heritage Site, inscribed in the World Heritage list in 2012. Elvas is a Portuguese city in Alentejo, near the Portuguese-Spanish border.
The site, extensively fortified from the 17th to 19th centuries, represents the largest bulwarked dry ditch system in the world. Within its walls, the town contains barracks and other military buildings as well as churches and monasteries. While Elvas contains remains dating back to the 10th century, its fortification began during the Portuguese Restoration War. The fortifications played a major role in the Battle of the Lines of Elvas in 1659. The fortifications were designed by Dutch Jesuit Padre João Piscásio Cosmander and represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site consists the following:
- Castle of Elvas
- Elvas star fort
- Walls of Elvas
- Amoreira Aqueduct, built to withstand long sieges.
- Nossa Senhora da Graça Fort
- Santa Luzia Fort
- São Mamede Fort
- St. Peter Fort
- São Domingos Fort
- The Elvas History Centre
References
| Norte |
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|---|---|---|
| Centro | ||
| Lisboa |
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| Alentejo |
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| Azores |
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| Madeira | ||