Fortaleza de Santa Cruz

Estrada General Eurico Gaspar Dutra s/n, Jurujuba, Niterói, 24370–375 Phone: 021/2710–2354 Not Available

About

The Fortaleza de Santa Cruz de Barra has its origin in 1555 with the installation of two cannons in a rudimentary fort.  Located at the tip of the rocky promontory that dominates the eastern entrance of Baia de Guanabara and was intended to provide security against intruders and ensure better conditions for the establishment of "French Antarctica".  After the expulsion of the French from Rio de Janeiro in 1567, and during the period in which Brazil was a colony of Portugal, the fortress received the names of Battery of Nossa Senhora da Guia and Fortaleza de Santa Cruz da Barra, establishing it as part of the system of defense of the entrance to Baia da Guanabara, establishing its importance during the colonial and republican periods.