“The fortress is a huge, amazing monster of worldwide heritage impact. The whole Iberian world is at stake here,” said Rui Carita, speaking to journalists in Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, referring to the Fortress of São João Baptista, built in the Philippine dynasty.

The retired professor of the University of Madeira was speaking on the sidelines of the opening session of the 1st International Colloquium on Heritage and Military Tourism, which brings together in Angra do Heroísmo about half a hundred researchers from various European countries in an organization of TECHN&ART, Center for Technology, Restoration and Valorization of the Arts, of the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, and the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo. According to Rui Carita, in addition to the fortresses, the city of Angra do Heroismo has a “museum center of exceptional quality” on military heritage. It needs to create “itineraries” and “interest the public.” The historian argued that there would be a “new niche of military tourism in the coming years”.

“The opportunity today, strange as it may seem, is the war in Ukraine that opens up an interest in military heritage, in what military structures are, etc., that takes people today on a new journey,” he explained.

Jorge Paulus Bruno, director of the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo, part of the Manuel Coelho Baptista de Lima Military History Museum, said that the island is already beginning to explore this type of tourism. However, it needs to publicize it more.”We are already receiving people who arrive on the island to visit the military history center. There are still few,” he said. From Wednesday to Sunday, the museum organizes visits to the Fortress of São João Baptista, in five languages, with certified guides, which have “had a significant number” of participants. “We understand that it adds value to the region’s knowledge. Talking about the fortress is talking about the history of the island, talking about its military heritage. It is a first step towards developing a line of tourism in the field of military tourism,” said the museum director.

Among the military heritage of the Museum of Angra do Heroísmo, Jorge Bruno highlighted what is “considered the only Schneider-Canet battery from World War I complete in a museum institution worldwide.” “We have visitable reserves, on request, which contain a huge amount of military pieces, which are very interesting and very valuable. Some are unique pieces at a national level,” he said. The museum director also defended the creation of a route through the forts of Terceira Island, although many are “practically disappeared.”

“It would be worth making a bus tour. The fort does not exist, but there could be a museum explaining its role in defending a particular bay,” he proposed. The director of TECHN&ART, Célio Gonçalo Marques, president of the organizing committee of the colloquium, considered that the event, which runs until Saturday, can contribute to boosting military tourism in Terceira. “Experts are gathered here, not only national but international. This sharing of research and knowledge will enhance this military tourism and what is fantastic about Angra and Terceira Island”, he stressed.

For the Mayor of Angra do Heroísmo, Álamo Meneses, the city has already reached a “high level” of visibility for its heritage, and “the number of tourists is not higher because air transport does not bring them”. “We have more and more people visiting Angra for reasons that have to do with the constructed heritage, and it is clear that in the erected heritage stands out the Fortress of São João Baptista, but also the other forts,” he pointed out.

From LUSA news service and Açoriano Oriental newspaper from Pont Delgada, translated to English by PBBI-Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute- and MCLL-Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Fresno State as a community outreach program.