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Fort of King Luís I

Coordinates:38°42′16″N9°16′00″W/ 38.70444°N 9.26667°W/38.70444; -9.26667
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Fort of King Luís I
Forte-prisão de Caxias
Oeiras,
Near Lisbon inPortugal
Coordinates38°42′16″N9°16′00″W/ 38.70444°N 9.26667°W/38.70444; -9.26667
TypeFort
Site information
OwnerPortuguese Republic
OperatorMinistry of Justice, Portugal
Site history
Built1879-86
In useas a prison

TheFort of King Luís I(Forte D. Luís I), also referred to as the Fort of Caxias (Forte de Caxias) and the Fort-prison of Caxias (Forte-prisão de Caxias), is located in the parish ofCaxias,in the municipality ofOeirasin theLisbon districtofPortugal.It presently functions as a prison.

Built between 1879 and 1886 it was intended as one of a number of forts, known as theCampo Entrincheiradoof Lisbon, that formed a defensive perimeter that followed the boundaries of Lisbon at the time. It consisted of two separate strongholds, the north and the south. Originally called the Fort of Caxias, it was renamed as the Fort ofKing Luís Iin 1901 in honour of the king who died in 1889.[1]

The fort was first used as a prison in 1916 when a group of soldiers who mutinied were arrested. In 1917 it was used to house construction workers who had gone on strike and in the same year telegraph workers on strike were also held there. From 1935 the southern part of the fort was used by theEstado Novodictatorship as a political prison, which included torture chambers, and this continued until Portugal’sCarnation Revolution,when its doors were opened on April 25, 1974. It was subsequently used briefly to detain right-wing politicians. The fort was transferred to Portugal’s Prison Service in December 1988.[1][2]

Although the fort was not generally used by theEstado Novoto accommodate the communist party’s top leaders, who were mainly held in thePeniche Fortress,it did witness a mass escape on 4 December 1961 when eight communist party members were able to escape in an armoured car, which they succeeded in smashing through the main gate. The driver had taken a long time gaining the confidence of the guards by convincing them that he had rejected communism and was now on their side. In this way he was able to gain access to the vehicle, which was normally used forPresident Salazar.[2][3]

Past prisoners

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References

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  1. ^ab"Forte D. Luís I".Fortalezas.org.Retrieved9 June2020.
  2. ^ab"Prisões Políticas Do Estado Novo".Slideshare.Retrieved9 June2020.
  3. ^"Fuga de Caxias foi há 45 anos - Dedicação à prova de bala".Partida Comunista Português.Retrieved9 June2020.
  4. ^"Maria Isabel Aboim Inglês".Jornal Tornado.Retrieved13 February2021.
  5. ^"José Magro".Jornal Tornado.Retrieved3 June2021.
  6. ^"Maria Adelaide Aboim Inglez".Jornal Tornado.Retrieved13 March2021.
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