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Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

Rank:

UNESCO

Wonder Type: Cultural

Country: Portugal

Best of: Architecture, Fortifications

Description:

The site, extensively fortified from the 17^th to 19^th 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 ad, its fortification began when Portugal regained independence in 1640. The fortifications designed by Dutch Jesuit padre Cosmander represent the best surviving example of the Dutch school of fortifications anywhere. The site also contains the Amoreira aqueduct, built to enable the stronghold to withstand lengthy sieges. [More Details]

This article uses material from UNESCO World Heritage List article "Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0 IGO License.