Fortress Sights
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Schlossbergbahn
Rising to 473m, Schlossberg is the site of the original fortress that gave Graz its name. Its wooded slopes can be reached by a number of paths, with the funicular Schlossbergbahn from Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Kai, or by Glass Lift from Schlossbergplatz. Even Napoleon was hard-pressed to raze this fortress, but raze it he did. The whole area was later landscaped and today an open-air theatre, a great restaurant-bar and a small Garrison Museum are the legacy.
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Fort of Pafos
This small, empty fort guards the harbour entrance and is entered by a little stone bridge over a moat. Most visitors climb the fort for the good views of the harbour from its roof. The fort also serves as an event venue during the Pafos Aphrodite Festival.
The fort is in fact all that remains of an earlier Lusignan fort built in 1391; the rest of it was destroyed by the Venetians less than a hundred years later. The Ottomans fixed only the roof, on which they built eight cannon slots aiming in all directions.
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Portixedda
Oristano's tidy historic centre retains just a whiff of its former glory, with rows of solid stone houses with tall shuttered windows and lofty internal courtyards. It's almost circular in plan and was once surrounded by a mighty fortified wall whose only remnants are the Torre di Mariano II on Piazza Roma, and the Portixedda just off Via Giuseppe Mazzini to the east.
The latter contains an exhibition showing what the city's defences would have looked like before they were pulled down in the late 19th century.
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Rumeli Hisarı
Just before the Fatih Bridge are the majestic structures of Rumeli Hisarı and Anadolu Hisarı (Fortress of Anatolia). Mehmet the Conqueror had Rumeli Hisarı built in a mere four months in 1452, in preparation for his siege of Byzantine Constantinople. For its location, he chose the narrowest point of the Bosphorus, opposite Anadolu Hisarı, which Sultan Beyazıt I had built in 1391. By doing so, Mehmet was able to control all traffic on the strait, cutting the city off from resupply by sea.
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Fortress
The Fortress above the lagoon was built to protect citizens from raids by pirates and the local indigenous population. It also served as an important outpost for the Spanish in the War of the Castes. In 1859 it was seized by Maya rebels, who held the fort until Quintana Roo was finally conquered by Mexican troops in 1901. Today, with formidable cannons still on its ramparts, the fortress remains an imposing sight.
It houses a museum exhibiting colonial armaments and uniforms from the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Vardøhus Festning
The star-shaped Vardøhus Festning – yes, of course it’s the world’s most northerly – was constructed in 1737 by King Christian VI. For a fortress, it’s painted in gentle fairy-tale colours. On a nice, sunny day it’s pleasant to stroll around the flower-festooned bastions, past turf-roofed buildings and Russian cannons. You pay the admission fee either at the guard office or by dropping it into the WWII sea mine that guards the entrance.
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Citadelle
The greatest military architect of the 17th century, Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban (p944), designed this massive fortress, shaped like a five-pointed star, after the capture of Lille by France in 1667. Made of some 60 million bricks, it still functions as a French and NATO military base. It stands at the northeastern end of bd de la Liberté. Outside the 2.2km-long outer ramparts is the city centre’s largest park.
Children will love the amusement park, playgroundand small municipal zoo(admission free; h10am- 6pm, closed mid-Dec–mid-Feb), all on the Citadelle’s southeastern flank. Served by the Citadine shuttle bus.
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Bhadra Fort & Teen Darwaja
Bhadra Fort built by the city’s founder, Ahmed Shah, in 1411, now houses government offices and a Kali temple. Ask for access to the roof, where you can check out the formidable structure, a perfunctory gallows and views of the surrounding streets. Two of the fort bastions partly collapsed in the 2001 earthquake. To the east is the Teen Darwaja (Triple Gateway), once the gateway into the Royal Square, or Maidan Shahi, where royal processions and polo games took place.
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Fort St John
Although the British demolished most of Porta de Santiago, they spared the small Dutch Fort St John. Originally a Portuguese chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist (until the Dutch rebuilt it in the 18th century), it stands on a hilltop to the east of town just before the turn-off to Medan Portugis. Only a few walls and cannon emplacements of the fort remain, but there are fine views from the hilltop. In the mornings a group of locals practice t'ai chi on the grassy field next to the fort.
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Schloss
Sticking up above the Altstadt like a picture-book pop-up against a theatrical backdrop of wooded hills, the partly ruined, red sandstone Schloss is Heidelberg's heart-stealer. Palatinate princes, stampeding Swedes, Protestant reformers, raging fires and lightning bolts - this Gothic-Renaissance fortress has seen the lot. Its tumultuous history, story-book looks and changing moods have inspired the pens of Mark Twain and Victor Hugo as well as Turner's prolific paintbrush.
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Castillo de Corral
In the 17th century, the Spanish heavily fortified the point where the Río Valdivia and the Río Tornagaleones joins the Pacific. Today, the remains of these fortifications at Corral, Niebla and Isla Mancera are a strong reminder of the colonial past.
The largest and most intact is the Castillo de Corral, consisting of the Castillo San Sebastián de la Cruz (1645), the gun emplacements of the Batería de la Argolla (1764) and the Batería de la Cortina (1767).
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Lamu Fort
The bulky, atmospheric Lamu Fort squats on Lamu's main square like a weary intruder among the airy Swahili roofs. The building of this massive structure was begun by the Sultan of Paté in 1810 and completed in 1823. From 1910 right up to 1984 it was used as a prison, and it now houses the island's library and some lacklustre displays on natural history and the environment, which a guide will show you around. The highlight is scaling the ramparts for some sweeping town views.
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Baluarte de San Pedro
Directly behind Iglesia de San Juan de Dios, the Baluarte de San Pedro served a postpiracy defensive function when it repelled a punitive raid from Mérida in 1824. Carved in stone above the entry is the symbol of San Pedro: two keys to heaven and the papal tiara. Climb the steep ramp to the roof and look between the battlements to see San Juan’s cupola. Downstairs, the Galería y Museo de Arte Popular displays beautiful indigenous handicrafts.
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Museggmauer
For a bird’s-eye view over Lucerne’s rooftops to the glittering lake and mountains beyond, wander the medieval ramparts. A walkway is open between the Schirmerturm (tower), where you enter, and the Wachturm, from where you have to retrace your steps. You can also ascend and descend the Zytturm or Männliturm (the latter not connected to the ramparts walkway).
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Veste Oberhaus
A 13th-century defensive fortress, built by the prince-bishops, Veste Oberhaus towers over Passau with patriarchal pomp. Not surprisingly, views of the city and into Austria are superb from up here.
Inside the bastion is the Oberhausmuseum, a regional history museum where you can uncover the mysteries of medieval cathedral building, learn what it took to become a knight and explore Passau's period as a centre of the salt trade. Displays are labelled in English.
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Kluže Fortress
The Kluže Fortress, built by the Austrians in 1882 on the site of a 17th-century fortress above a deep ravine on the Koritnica River, is 4km northeast of Bovec and worth the trip just to see its awesome location. There's a small exhibition devoted to the Soča Front and other local WWI battles. There's also a bar with hot and cold drinks. You can reach the fortress on the main road from Bovec towards Log pod Mangartom and the Predel Pass into Italy.
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Fuerte Museo San José del Alto
San Miguel's northern counterpart, built in the late 18th century, sits atop the Cerro de Bellavista. From the parapets you can see where the town ends and the mangroves begin. Cross a drawbridge over a moat to enter the neatly restored fortress. Inside, the Fuerte Museo San José del Alto illustrates the port's maritime history through ship models, weaponry and other paraphernalia, including a beautiful ebony rudder carved in the shape of a hound.
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Castello Salvaterra
Just off Piazza Sella amid pleasant hillside gardens stands a stout square tower: the remains of Castello Salvaterra, Ugolino's mighty Pisan fortress. From up here you can appreciate fine views of the old town. To get an idea of what the city looked like before the walls came down, proceed to Via Campidano, where a stretch of the 14th-century northwestern perimeter built by the Catalano-Aragonese remains defiantly in place, complete with towers.
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Kasematten
West of the Albertinum is the Brühlsche Terrasse, a spectacular promenade that’s been called the ‘Balcony of Europe’, with a pavement nearly 15m above the southern embankment of the Elbe. In summer it’s a must for strolling, with expansive views of the river and the opposite bank. Beneath the promenade is the Renaissance brick bastion known as the Kasematten, which has a museum showing how the fortress was used.
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Fort No 7
Sixteen protective forts encircle Vladivostok. The best (but pricey) is the hill-top Fort No 7, 14km north of the centre. It has 1.5km of tunnels, pretty much untouched since the last 400 soldiers stationed here left. (The sole inhabitants now include two pet cats to keep rats out.) Views are good too. Visiting on your own is very difficult, as the fort doesn't keep regular hours and it's hard to find. Organise a trip through an agency instead.
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Pukará de Quitor
Dominating a curvaceous promontory over the Río San Pedro, this crumbling 12th-century pukará (fort) was one of the last bastions against Pedro de Valdivia and the Spanish in northern Chile. The indigenous forces fought bravely, but were overcome and many were promptly beheaded. About one hundred defensive enclosures hug the slopes here, like big stone bird's nests. The hilltop commands an impressive view of the oasis.
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Bonifacio Citadel
The citadel (often referred to as Haute Ville, upper town) is the main town centre. Set on the cliff-top promontory 70m above the harbour, the northern side overlooks Bonifacio Sound, while the southern ramparts give you dreamy views of Sardinia. On all sides, white limestone cliffs drop vertically and dramatically into the sea.
Within the clifftop citadel is a charming maze of alleyways with a distinct mediaeval feel.
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Alcazaba
This large Muslim fort was built in the 9th century on a site already occupied by the Romans and Visigoths. Down below, its pretty goldfish-populated aljibe (cistern) reuses Visigothic marble and stone slabs, while the ramparts look out over the Guadiana. When Mérida was conquered by the Christians in 1230, the knightly order of Santiago restored the fort, which had fallen into disrepair. The 15th-century monastery in its northeast corner now serves as regional goverment offices. Admission is part of the combined Roman sights ticket.
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Burg Rheinfels
The sprawling ruins of Burg Rheinfels was once the mightiest fortress on the Rhine. Built in 1245 by Count Dieter V of Katzenelnbogen as a base for his toll-collecting operations, its size and labyrinthine layout are truly astonishing. Not only kids will love exploring the subterranean tunnels and galleries. To get there, you can walk for 20 minutes up the hill from the youth hostel or drive (parking fee required).
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Genoese Fortress of Cembalo
Unsurprisingly, others discovered this wonderful cove before the British navy; the settlement is about 2500 years old and even mentioned in Homer's Odyssey as a pirate's den. Today, the oldest surviving reminders of earlier habitation are the three towers from the 15th-century Genoese Fortress of Cembalo. These are probably still under scaffolding, as there's an (overly?) ambitious plan to reconstruct the entire fortress.
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