Description of the attraction
Fort Ponta de Bandeira, also known as Fort Nossa Senhora da Peña de Franca, is located outside the city walls of Lagos.
The fortress was built at the end of the 17th century and was part of the Lagos defensive system. At the end of the 17th century, the coast of the Algarve was very often attacked by pirates. Lagos, which was once the capital of the Algarve, also suffered from them, as it was a port city. Defensive walls were built around the city, but they were at some distance from the coast, so the coast remained unprotected. And then the governor of the Algarve, Count Sarzedos, decided to build a fort next to the port.
Construction began between 1679 and 1683 and was completed in 1690. The only way to get into the fortress was through a drawbridge over a deep moat dug out in front of the entrance. The fort is one of the latest defensive structures in Lagos, and besides, the fort has been well preserved to this day. It is worth noting that the fortress was being built at a time when Portugal was waging a war for its independence from Spain.
The fort is built in the shape of a square, with watchtowers located at the corners of the fort. Inside the fort there is a chapel of St. Barbara, the walls of which are decorated with azulesos tiles from the late 18th century. There are also barracks inside, in which various exhibitions are held from time to time. Visitors can climb the cannon platform at the top of the fort, and from there look into the watchtowers.
Today, the traditional Lagos festival is held on the territory of the fort - the festival of midnight swimming: every year on August 29, people gather in order to swim at midnight, taste local cuisine and listen to live music.
