Cultural Cascais

THE 16th century Cidadela, former military fortress on the seafront in Cascais, is to be transformed into a “dynamic centre for culture and leisure”. According to a source at Cascais Câmara, the fortress is to house a hotel, one or two quality museums, restaurants and cafés, and shops. A University faculty and artist workshops may also be located there and an “enormous esplanade” will be mounted in the main square of the fortress. The Cidadela was one of a string of fortresses, built along the Lisbon coast, to protect the city against invaders. Last year, control of the fortress was transferred from the Defence Ministry to Cascais Câmara, which aimed to make it freely accessible to residents and tourists within “a period of two to three years”.