Peniche - Fortaleza

The town, and indeed the whole peninsula, is dominated by the well preserved fort (fortaleza) near the harbor, built by Filippo Terzi in the 16th C. and considerably enlarged in the 17th C., with Vaubanstyle fortifications. It achieved notoriety under Salazar's dictatorship when he used it to incarcerate political prisoners. Part of the former prison cells, visitors' room and other communal facilities is open to the public, and there are also displays designed to give an idea of the repression and the resistance during the Salazar regime. Also in the fortress is the regional museum, with exhibits particularly related to the fishing industry.