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GPS 38.69530584885139, -9.452218690319526

The Fort of Nossa Senhora da Guia is located on Av. Our Lady of the Cape, n. 939, between Farol da Guia and Lage do Ramil, in the parish and municipality of Cascais, district of Lisbon, in Portugal.

History

This maritime fortification was built in the reign of D. João IV, during the period of the wars of restoration, integrated in the defensive system of the seafront access to Lisbon between Cabo da Roca and Torre de São Vicente in Belém. It is believed that the construction project, taking into account its Baroque characteristics, was attributed to the French engineers Lassart and Guiatu. The choice of its location in this strategic area is related to the disembarkation of Spanish troops commanded by the Duke of Alba, on July 28, 1580, at Laje do Ramil, located at the base of the current Fort. It was quickly built, having been operational since at least 1646 – it had begun four years earlier, as attested by the tombstone placed over the entrance door, under a national coat of arms with a crown: "The Very High and Powerful King D. João the IIII of Portugal Our Lord Ordered This Fortification to be Built as Governor of the Arms of this Square D. António Luís de Menezes and it began on June 20th in the era of 1642 R.T.E. Year 1832". Simple in design and small in size, the space was divided into two distinct areas, the battery and the accommodation, sectioned into four dependencies, following the constructive scheme of the fortifications then erected on the coast of Cascais.

After the end of the wars, its garrison was reduced to a small number of soldiers, the fort already showing signs of degradation in the mid-18th century, aggravated by the earthquake of 1755, which particularly affected the barracks and the guardhouse. In 1777, there is news that the fort was once again in a good state of conservation, with no change in its original layout. Between 1793 and 1796, a profound remodeling was carried out with a view to its modernization and greater functionality, especially with regard to the internal organization of the strong house and the construction of elements such as merlons, embrasures and watchtowers, renewing its appearance.

After the period of the French invasions, its use decreased. In 1831, it was in a state of partial ruin, with some restoration work taking place the following year, with clashes between Miguelistas and liberals imminent. At that time, the date of 1832 was added to the original tombstone of the foundation. After the Liberal takeover, the Fort gradually lost its garrison, and the urgent need for repairs remained in the years that followed due to its continued degradation. Military activity ended in 1843, with the garrison, consisting of a corporal and a sergeant, being transferred, which led to its relative abandonment – ​​it should be noted that, in 1868, it was still inhabited, serving as a residence for the employees of the Traffic Light Station. from the Guide. At the beginning of the century XX, the Count of Moser, owner of Quinta da Marinha, acquired the outer parapets, dismantling them.

In 1920, the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Guia was put up for public auction and leased to a private individual, with the Direcção-Geral do Ensino Superior expressing an interest in occupying the building for scientific purposes in 1926. The adaptation works project by the architect Frederico Carvalho dates from 1927, preceding the lease, by the Ministry of War, to the Directorate-General for Higher Education for the installation of the experimental Maritime Zoological Station of the Bocage Museum of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon .

The works to adapt the building to a research laboratory – in which the Ministry of Public Works also intervened – began in 1928, under Arthur Ricardo Jorge, then director of the Bocage Museum, extending for several years until 1956. the fort was transferred to the General Directorate of the Public Treasury, which three years later transferred it, definitively, to the University of Lisbon, with a view to installing the Maritime Section of the Bocage Museum. The first expansion phase was authorized in 1950, but only after 1956 was it possible to provide the space with electricity.

The classification of the Fort as a Property of Public Interest was requested on April 9, 1974, on the initiative of Pr. Luiz Saldanha, having been granted three years later, in 1977.

Various investigations and maritime surveys were carried out soon under Ricardo Jorge, with the Laboratory becoming practically inactive when it was retired. In 1966, practical classes in Systematic Zoology were given at the Fort, without continuity. The lack of own funds severely conditioned the development of activity in the Laboratory. Through the great commitment of Luiz Saldanha, work began on reactivating and revitalizing the Guia Maritime Laboratory as a research and teaching unit from 1975 onwards. of Sciences (currently the Department of Animal Biology), with the immediate beginning of laboratory research work by Luiz Saldanha and his students, in their undergraduate internship; many of them, for financial reasons, even spent the night consecutively at the Fort. The c. 140 pieces of furniture purchased by Ricardo Jorge, as well as most of the laboratory equipment. There were then offices/laboratories, kitchen, library, aquarium room and darkroom, spaces that were adapted over time according to the needs and evolution of scientific research in the area. Since the fire that occurred in 1978 in the premises of the Faculty of Sciences, on Rua da Escola Politécnica, the Guia Maritime Laboratory has become indispensable for the installation of some teachers and students. Naturally, over time, conservation works continued to be carried out, such as waterproofing the roof and fixing windows and gates. Despite the necessary transformations and consequent somewhat unsightly and de-characterizing additions, the Fort retains some of its original design and adapts to the functioning of the Laboratory that occupies it.

Since 2007, the Laboratóro Marítimo da Guia has been part of the Oceanography Center of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, along with its status as a research unit of IMAR since 1998 (having since 1991 housed its headquarters, then transferred to Coimbra). Given the scope of research currently carried out at the Guia Maritime Laboratory, marine ecology (coastal and deep systems) and marine ecophysiology (physiology of growth, nutrition and reproduction of marine species), the space currently has research areas, offices, laboratories , conference room and infrastructure for marine culture. Since 2015, it has been part of MARE - Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, with the extinction of the Oceanography Centre.

Full list of Geochaching below:

*Released*✅ *Reviewed*✅ Approved✅

Curator Body
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