Fort São Tiago da Barra
The Fort São Tiago da Barra (Fortaleza de São Tiago da Barra in Portuguese) also known as Barra Fort (Forte da Barra in Portuguese) is located in the base of the Barra Hill, in front of Lapa Island in Macau, China, once one of the most important fortresses in the city. History The fort was built in 1629 on the site of a previous artillery battery, erected after the Battle of Macau with the Dutch in 1622, with the function of defending the inner anchorage. The bulwarks and batteries were close to the water level, but more platforms were built up the hill. As the Portuguese had mostly blocked the channel way, ships had to sail by very close to the fort, conferring it great effectiveness. On the hills at the southern end of the Macao peninsula, it was a citadel within the city. Its walls were six meters at the base, 3.3 meters at the top, rising to 30 feet in height. Its captain was appointed directly by the king of Portugal. Its main platform measured 113m x 42m, housing, a cistern with a capacity of 3,000 liters and facilities for the commander and 60 soldiers. Further up the