Fort Cacela a Velha

Fort Cacela a Velha lies in the small village of Cacela Velha in the Algarve province in Portugal. Locally it is known as Fortaleza de Cacela.

The present fort dates back to the 16th /17th century. It was built, on top of the foundations of a 12th century fortification, to protect the Algarvian coast against piracy. In the 18th century it was rebuilt. It is now used by some kind of government police unit.

It's a square fort with two square corner towers at the northern side and two small turrets at the southern, seaward side. The eastern turret was never completed.

The fort itself can not be visited. The village itself is very small and quiet. But there are very nice views over the lagoons alongside the coast. Below you can see two aerial pictures. The first shows the fort from the south and the second from the north.

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