Praia Azul Hotel Restaurante

Torres Vedras

by bambino36

Torres Vedras is a small town located 40Km north of Lisbon. It can easily be reached using the A8 highway.
The town has some interesting monuments, however, some of them show some degradation. The municipality seems to have been working on them.

Torres Vedras is well known for its important role during the Napoleonic invasions in the beginning of the 19th century. The S. Vicente fortress is the main testimony of those times but in the Museum Leonel Trindade there is a wonderful collection of artifacts used in those times. The Lines of Torres Vedras were the most efficient system of camp fortifications ever known in millitary history, which is amongst the world five most important fortifications, side by side with the Adriano Wall and China Wall, with the particularity that it was the unique system that really was effective. Too bad that it's importance and history are almost unknown and not many understand it's value. These fortifications don't have the desired care due to the fact that they are spread out through different municipalities: Torres Vedras, Loures, Mafra, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Arruda dos Vinhos and Vila Franca de Xira.
But the 18th/19th century fortress is not the only thing that we can find in Torres Vedras. In the town and surroundings we find remains of pre-historic times til recent ages.