Until 1640 the number of fortifications built along the Portuguese coast did not reach two dozen, from this period onwards, in a short space of time, new military structures were built, far exceeding that number.
In the case of the Arrábida region, before this period there were three fortifications. At the end of the XNUMXth century, another ten had been built, of which six were in Setúbal and Sesimbra.
By order of King João IV (1640-1656), in 1642 the construction of the Albarquel Fort began to be planned, starting the work the following year (1643) which ended in the reign of Pedro II de Portugal (1683-1706).
This Fort aimed to reinforce the fire capacity of the Fortress of S. Filipe and was part of the military defense strategy of the kingdom in the protection of the Setúbal bar.
Among the population of Setúbal, who contributed a lot to the fortification works of the entire bar of Setúbal, were the local owners of the salt pans and the Confraria dos Navegantes e Pescadores da Vila de Setúbal or “Corpo Santo”.
The Albarquel Fort was dismantled in 1883. In the first half of the 150th century, an underground fortification was built on the adjacent lands, equipped with barracks, a water tank, magazines and an electric power station, with a camouflage device and three Krupp cannons, of 1999mm. Until 8, the unit incorporated the XNUMXth Bataria of the extinct Coast Artillery Regiment, of the Portuguese Army.
On June 21, 2001, the process of disaffecting the military public domain of the Forte de Albarquel began, as well as a parcel of land included in the public water domain, allowing the subsequent transfer of use of the property to the Municipality of Setúbal, which took over in 2015.
This was followed by the respective recovery and requalification as a museum centre, also adapting it to cultural activities, tourist support and environmental awareness.
Tuesday to Friday: 10am to 12pm and 15pm to 17pm
Saturdays: 10am to 13pm
Closed on Sundays, Mondays and holidays
forte.albarquel@mun-setubal.pt
969 754 331