Ponta Delgada, Azores; Dakar, Senegal; Cidade Velha, Cape Verde Portugal was the first European power to establish a world-wide colonial empire in the 15th century. Thanks to its excellent geographic position at the westernmost edge of Europe, and also to its exceptionally brave and fortunate mariners, the Portuguese were the first explorers to reach the coast of West Africa … [Read more...]
COLONIAL FORTS OF AFRICA (ELMINA CASTLE, FORT JESUS, CASTLE OF GOOD HOPE)
Elmina, Ghana; Mombasa, Kenya; Cape Town, South Africa When explorers and conquistadors began pouring out of Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries, the coast of Africa was one of their first targets. Europeans began arriving in large numbers in the 1500s. In order to provide easier access to the wealth of the interior, the Europeans set up many way-stations, leaving behind … [Read more...]
FORTALEZA DE HACHO
Ceuta, Morocco The Fortaleza De Hacho is the world’s oldest colonial-era fortress, and one of its last still in use. The site of an earlier castle, Monte Hacho was captured by Portuguese adventurers in 1415, and, though it switched hands between the Portuguese and Spanish several times in its history, has remained an enclave of European powers ever since. Built to defend the … [Read more...]
WESTERN FRONT FORTIFICATIONS (VERDUN, EBEN EMAEL, MAGINOT LINE)
Verdun, France; Eben-Emael, Belgium; Thionville, France The Franco-German border was one of the world’s last heavily fortified frontiers. Long after the Middle Ages were over, and even a century after the armies of Napolean had dismantled many of Central Europe’s greatest fortresses, the region stretching from the Low Countries to the border of Switzerland remained an armed … [Read more...]
SYDNEY FORTIFICATIONS
Sydney, Australia By the time European colonists reached the Pacific, the days of large, fixed fortifications were almost over. However, because Sydney was the largest city on the entire continent of Australia, the British invested heavily in its defense. By the time British-Japanese tensions reached their height in the interwar years, Sydney had become the second-most … [Read more...]
AMERICAN COASTAL FORTS (MCHENRY, PULASKI, SUMTER)
Baltimore, MD; Savannah, GA; Charleston, SC The United States of America came into existence just in time for the last few decades of fixed stone fortifications. With the advent of more powerful cannons, walled forts and castles were already largely an outdated luxury. Nevertheless America did erect a few major fortresses in the early years of the 19th century, primarily to … [Read more...]
PETER AND PAUL FORTRESS
St. Petersburg, Russia The Peter and Paul Fortress is the greatest Russian citadel of the gunpowder age. Because of its extended western border and endless frontiers in the east, it was impractical for Russia to defend itself with fortresses and traditionally built few. But the new capital of St. Petersburg merited an exception. As a result the Peter and Paul Fortress was … [Read more...]
SUOMENLINNA FORTRESS
Helsinki, Finland Suomenlinna Fortress is also known as the Sveaborg, or Swedish Castle, and also as the Sea Fort because it occupies a cluster of small islands just outside of Helsinki, Finland. A relative latecomer to Scandinavia, Suomenlinna was built by the Swedes in response to the construction of Russia’s new capital at St. Petersburg, which posed a serious threat to … [Read more...]
GRIPSHOLM CASTLE
Mariefred, Sweden Gripsholm Castle is Sweden’s answer to Akershus in Norway. Built to protect the western approaches to Stockholm from the threat of Danish or Norwegian incursions, it enjoyed a relatively peaceful history, and even served as the residence of the Swedish monarchy for the better part of two centuries. Other than being torn down and replaced in the 1500s, … [Read more...]
KRONBORG CASTLE
Elsinore, Denmark Kronborg Castle, tucked away close to the northernmost tip of continental Europe, is the pride of Denmark, and with good reason. Dominating the extremely narrow straits between Denmark and Sweden, Kronborg may be the most strategically located fortification in Northern Europe. This was especially true after the development of gunpowder cannon, when … [Read more...]
