Dutch walls
17th century.
Hans von Manteuffel — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zé Carlos Barretta — CC BY 2.0 · samuel.pio — CC BY 3.0 · Lili Teixeira — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Fort of Santa Cruz de Itamaracá, known as Fort Orange, stands on Itamaracá Island on the northern coast of Pernambuco. The Dutch began it in May 1631 during their second invasion of Brazil and named it in honour of the House of Orange-Nassau, which ruled the Netherlands, to command the island's southern channel. It was held by a garrison of 366 men under a Polish captain, who resisted the Portuguese forces in 1632 until they withdrew, leaving their guns behind. The fort later became Portuguese as Santa Cruz. Today it holds a small museum with archaeological finds from excavations and panels reproducing maps of the period. Visiting the fort is free, and boats in front of it cross in under two minutes to the Coroa do Avião sandbank for about R$25 a person return. The island is a popular day trip from Recife.
17th century.
A nearby sandbank.
Finds and maps.
Itamaracá Island, northern coast of Pernambuco
On the boats in front of the fort, in under two minutes, for about R$25 a person return.