Casa do Trem Bélico

About this place

The Casa do Trem Bélico, the «war materiel house», is a rare example of eighteenth-century colonial military architecture and the oldest public building in Santos. Here the word «trem» carries its old popular sense of «assorted materials», meaning munitions. In the eighteenth century Santos and nearby villages were guarded by a wide network of forts, and this house was built to supply them with ammunition and weapons. It was designed by the military engineer José da Silva Pais and built between 1734 and 1738 according to period documents, possibly over an older building from the mid seventeenth century. In 1908 it became home to the «Tiro de Guerra nº 11» shooting school, and later a school and various offices. Fully restored in 2009, it now holds a permanent arms exhibition and serves as the base of the Forts Circuit tourist route, as well as a stop on the tourist tram line. It opens on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 to 17:00 with free entry.