Forte Marechal Luz, Military fortress in Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Forte Marechal Luz is a military fortress in Santa Catarina located on a coastal point and surrounded by vegetation. The buildings are painted in orange tones and the site contains historical cannons dating from the early 1900s.
The fortress was built in 1909 upon the remains of an earlier fortification that once stood at this location. It reflects the evolution of Brazilian coastal defense during the transition from the 1800s to the 1900s.
The fortress is named after Marshal Francisco Carlos da Luz (1830–1906), a military figure of the imperial era and the early Republic. Today, on Saturdays at 8 a.m., the garrison in period uniforms performs a flag-changing ceremony with a cannon salute; visits for this event must be booked in advance with the unit's Social Communication Department.
The fort sits on the João Dias point above the north entrance to São Francisco do Sul and is open every day of the year, daytime only, for a small entrance fee. A road in good condition leads to the top and can be used by passenger cars in fine weather. The Saturday 08:00 flag ceremony with period uniforms and a cannon salute must be booked in advance with the unit's social communication department.
The four coastal guns were taken from the cruiser Benjamin Constant; their breech wedges are dated 1893. Two are Armstrong QF 4.7-inch pieces of 120 mm and two are Armstrong BL 6-inch of 152 mm, mounted on naval carriages.
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