Brazil · 18th century
The New Coimbra Fort (Portuguese: Forte Novo de Coimbra), also known as Fort Portocarrero or simply Fort Coimbra, is a Brazilian military fortification on the Paraguay River, strategically located near the border with Bolivia and Paraguay in Corumbá, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, in Brazil. The fort was founded on September 13, 1775, something that had been planned by the Portuguese colonial authorities ever since the new borders with Spain had been fixed in the Treaty of Madrid in 1750.
The fort was besieged in the opening stages of the Paraguayan War by superior Paraguayan forces. The swift evacuation of its defenders under the cover of the night after but a few days of siege was a subject of controversy in Brazil.
Today, it still stands and is occupied by the Brazilian Army, as its position remains strategically relevant in controlling a wide border area. It hosts a display of historical artillery pieces and a chapel, and is listed as a heritage site.
Text adapted from “New Coimbra Fort” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Fort of Coimbra ranks #4,039 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #13 of the 79 mapped in Brazil. Founded 1775, it is older than 14% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 696 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,691 times in the last 60 days, more than 65% of the atlas. See how Brazil compares in the castle statistics.
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