The fortress
Stone walls.
Da dinges — Public domain · Efeland — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Efeland — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Efeland — CC BY-SA 4.0
A white stone fortress on top of Cerro hill west of the bay, Montevideo's highest point, built between 1809 and 1811 in the last years of Spanish rule to guard the port, with an old lighthouse on its roof. The city's very name is said to come from this hill, seen from afar by early sailors. Inside is the Military Museum, with weapons, uniforms and documents from the independence wars and the nineteenth century, and old cannons on the walls. The fort is small but handsome, with stone walls and an inner courtyard. Its best feature is the view: the whole bay, the city towers across the water, the port and its ships, and the wide river stretching to the horizon. A walkway and green area cover the hill. The hill is far from the centre, so take a taxi or bus. The wind is strong at the top.
Stone walls.
Independence wars.
Bay and city.
Top of Cerro hill, west of Montevideo bay
By taxi or bus from the centre to the Cerro district, then a short climb, as the hill is across the bay.