The old Taipa Fortress was built in 1847 by the Lieutenant Silva Loureiro in the western tip of Taipa Island for protection against pirate raids over merchant ship that prey for booty over the prosperous sea trade in the Pearl River.

The columns are part of the fake façade that was added afterwards, built probably, when the main building become a summer resident for the Macau governor.

To small rooms in the main building served as kitchen and other as a jail. On a higher ground was located storehouses and a Arsenal.

The style is very simple and typical practice in Macau; masonry walls and roof tiles with some decorations in stucco. The glass windows have external timber shutters (French window).

The foundation of the exterior wall as well the foundations and basement of each building is granite. This was not only because of military reasons but also as protections against de endemic termites’ attacks.

The platforms are paved in cobblestones. In the beach was built a pier for small boats commuting between Macau and islands. Seaplanes slide calmly in the fortress waterfront.

An original 1855 canon, the only remaining of the seven original pieces, still visible in the entrance platform.

In 1999 the building was offered to from the police force (that have a new station) to the Chinese Boys Scouts Association.

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The chapel of Our Lady of Guia was built in 1622 in the highest point of the Macau peninsula. The need of this fortress was apparent after the first Dutch attack to the city. The Feast of the patron of this chapel is the 5^th of August.

This high point give the alarm, ringing the bells as soon as a ship was found by the soldiers watching the horizon of the Pearl river. The small chapel is divided in two areas; the altar and the `populum” nave. The original frescos on walls and roof were recovered.

Together with Mont Fort, Guia Hill could have supplied crossfire over any enemy ship approaching the wall of the city through the Exterior Harbor or Praya Grande.

The primitive walls with four corner turrets had enclosed a 800 sq. meter area, housing the company of soldiers barracks, commander facilities, water, ammunition depot and a small hermitage.

British soldiers occupied this fortress during the Napoleonic wars, under the pretext to better protect the city against foreign invasions.

Annex to the chapel, in 1865 was built a lighthouse. This was the first of its kind in China Coast.

Since them by petroleum or by electricity her lamps provided a clear guidance to any ship harboring to Macau, justifying the “Guia” to guide, of her name.

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Macau fortresses had suffered a constant updating required by the evolution of the artillery firepower. After the trenches system failure in W.W.I., the Maginot and Siegfried line were considered inexpugnable compounds.

In Guia Hill, formerly a military restrict area site, in 1930’s a Maginot type of low profile surface shape, well camouflaged system defense was built. Bunker’s, canons machineguns niches, ammunition depots, underground headquarter, shells elevators, etc.

In Taipa Island a similar system had started to build in order to create crossfire platforms. This static defensive system had a movable arm formed by ships and hydroplanes.

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