Heinrich the Navigator already valued this area, even if not as a tourist
The ruggedness and loneliness of the area, its location on the south-western tip of Europe, the very last stop before the unknown and the unexplored vastness of the oceans prompted Heinrich the Seafarer to found a seafaring school here in the 15th century, which was to revolutionize nautical science, geography and shipbuilding .
You enter the rock plateau within the fortress walls through a tunnel-like gate. Little remains from Heinrich's time. Both the attack of the British privateer Sir Francis Drake in 1587 and the earthquake of 1755 hit the fortress. However, some walls have been restored or rebuilt. Today a youth hostel and a tourist office are located here.
In the fortress you can see a compass rose with a diameter of 43 m, which has 32 instead of the usual 42 fields. However, a conclusive explanation of the structure has not yet been found.
