Torre Velha © Jorge Gil de Almeida The Old Tower Fortress, located on the south bank of the Tagus River, was built by D. João II, in place of the old Caparica Fort, built during the reign of D. João I. Its construction is supposed to have been finished around 1480, 40 years before the Tower of Belém! The Old Tower is also known as Torre de São Sebastião and as Torre de São Brás. It stands between Porto Brandão and Porto da Paulina. Although it has been a National Monument since 2012 (decree 11/2012, published in Diário da República, 1st series - No. 104 - 29th May 2012) its state is practically of the most complete abandonment. It has a guard who keeps an eye on it so as not to be vandalised by intruders. For centuries, the two towers, VeIha and Belém, defended the bar of the Tagus from invasions. Distancing 1750 meters from each other, the forts had shooting problems, which led to a third fortress, floating, to come to their aid. A ship anchored in the middle of the river and heavily armed helped to overcome the problems of shooting efficiency of all the towers. It is practically unknown to the Portuguese despite being considered the oldest maritime fortress in the country and one of the oldest in Europe, representative of the military architecture of the 15th to 19th centuries. #lostplace #lostplaces #closed #closeddoors #decay #historicalplace #historical #forgotten #forgottenplaces #forgottenplace #behindcloseddoors #lisbon #lisbonscape🌇 #lisbonscape #lisboa #lisboaescondida #fortress #infinity_unguarded #the_urbex_challenge #the_urbex_institute #abandoned_excellence #made_in_decay #urbex_under #glomy_side_views #alerurbex #kings_abandoned #abandon_seekers #renegade_abandoned #abandoned_addiction #abandonedafterdark https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgFGVEgtce/?igshid=25071yntfrwc