If you’ve played Civilization VI, you have probably tried to build the Torre de Belem. I am ashamed to say that I wanted to see the real deal as soon as I was in Lisbon because I am a Civ addict.
But here I am, at the real Torre de Belem, learning about it outside of a Sid Meier game!
The 16th-century tower was originally placed in the center of the Tagus river, on top of a small island. It is now located near the shore, as you can see in the photo above, because the river itself was redirected after the 1755 earthquake. The tower didn’t move, the river did.
The tower is an ornate symbol of the power and elegance of the Portuguese empire as well as a fortification of the harbor. Shoreline defenses at the time did not have the range to protect the entire mouth of the river because the mouth was just too wide, hence the need for some cannons right in the middle.
It’s a beautiful piece of architecture, and now you can walk right up to it and play in wet sand at the base. Unfortunately, it’s closed to the public for repairs at the moment, so we weren’t able to tour or see the inside. I bet the view from the top is grand.
