Stone sentry box and iron cannon on the wall of Mount Fortress, under the canopy of a tree, in warm light.

Mount Fortress and Macao Museum

A fortress built between 1617 and 1626 right next to the Ruins of St. Paul's, with the Macao Museum at the top of the hill and a view over the historic center.

  • Museums
  • Suggested time:1 h 30 to 2 h
  • Area:Historic Center

About Mount Fortress and Macao Museum

Mount Fortress was built with the participation of the Jesuits on a hill about 52 meters high and became the city's main defense. It was decisive in 1622, when the Dutch tried to take Macau and were repelled. The walls are still there, and from the top you can see the Ruins of St. Paul's behind it, like peeking backstage at a theater.

At the summit sits the Macao Museum, opened in 1998 where the meteorological observatory used to be. It tells the story of how the territory took shape and of the communities that passed through, which makes it a good map for the rest of the trip: after it, every church and temple you come across on the street has context.

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Image credit

  • A sentry box and a cannon at the top of Mount Fortress, in the golden light of late afternoon.Photo: yeowatzup · CC BY 2.0 · original

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