Fort

Noorderfort, fort (Itamaracá)

The Dutch constructed a small fortification on the northern coast of the island to control the access. They built this fort in 1633 when they launched their final assault on N.S. da Conceição. De Laet wrote that the troops landed in June 1633 on the northern side of the island where Captain Everwijn was lodged in a small redoubt on the beach; they inspected the hill where the Portuguese had made a small fortification in 1632 and decided to construct the redoubt on the hill (Laet 1934: 163). Later that year garrisoned 21 soldiers were garrisoned there (Laet 1934: 208). The fort was probably abandoned in 1646 because the map from 1648 shows a place that is described in the legend as the place where the north tower once was (NL-HaNA4.VEL707). Today the fort is called Fortim da Ponta de Catuama and its remains have been located by researchers from the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) (Barretto 2010: 84)

Images