Monte Fort

Out of all the historic Portuguese military buildings in Macau, the Monte Fort is on a hill just east of the Ruins of the Church of St. Paul, so it is natural to hike up here and relax after visiting that site. At first glance, it looks like just a park, but of course this is the western edge of the hill.

When the fort was constructed in 1616 it was part of the St. Paul’s complex and belonged to the Jesuits who ran the church, it was meant to be a defense outpost that would repel pirate attacks on the church. Through out the course of history it served a multitude of purposes such as being a military fort, the residence of the Governor of Macau, as Macau’s first museum and the home of the Macau Meteorological Department.

Monte Fort was the residence of the Chief of Staff on City Defense and Superintendent of Macao before 1740. Later it became a forbidden military zone. It was not until 1965 that barracks on Monte Fortress were replaced by a weather station. It was opened to the public the following year. The weather station building was removed by the then Macao Government between 1996 and 1998 and replaced with today's Macao Museum.

The fort was built with a quadrilateral design with large bastions of about 100 meters in circumference being positioned at its four corners. Despite being having a quadrangular layout the actual construction of fort gives it a somewhat irregular shape and has a total floor area 20,000 square feet.

The reward is splendid panoramic views of Macau and neighboring China. Walk around and enjoy its atmospheric aspects from various angles. There is a safety line demarcating the outer walls, so if you step over this or sit perilously close to it, a security officer will blow a shrill cautionary whistle in your direction. It is quite pleasant up here, so falling over the edge will certainly be a detriment to your enjoyment of this urban park.

The landscape surrounding the fort is quite charming. Standing on the platform, visitors have an excellent view across Macau, making the Monte Fort a very popular attraction for both tourists and natives alike.