Coastal Memory Fort project
The Coastal Memory Fort project is looking at how to restore Paimogo Fort in Lourinhã, Portugal.
18 June 2024
The Coastal Memory Fort project is coming to an end, and this week there has been a final project meeting and seminar in Lourinhã, Portugal.
350 years of fort history
The revitalization of the Paimogo Fort in Lourinhã, a municipality north of Lisbon, Portugal, has been central to the Coastal Memory Fort project (EEA Grants Portugal).
This year, the Paimogo Fort is 350 years old. The fort has been through quite a journey from the need for protection and surveillance against the sea, to storage, to today where it is a highly revered cultural site in Lourinhã that the local community have a strong connection to.
The Paimogo Fort is idyllically located on the edge of the cliffs with the Atlantic Ocean as its nearest neighbor. Erosion and changes in climate pose major challenges for the site, where we are now looking at how to minimize the movements in the ground. Delaying instability is something that will be worked on further in the future.
Augmented reality models developed by Professor Gunnar Liestøl from the University of Oslo together with students have opened a window to the past based on historical stories and events. There are still opportunities for development here, especially the inclusion of geological and palaeontological history. In Lourinhã, dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic period have been found that are unique in a world context.
Cross-border collaboration
In Lourinhã, we did a joint evaluation and highlighted milestones and learnings that the project has provided. The interdisciplinary approach in all parts of the Coastal Memory Fort project has yielded good results.
Contact, exchanges of opinions and engagement with the local community are considered one of the greatest successes of the project. Where the Paimogo fort has been a dynamo for initiating activities, development and ideas for new projects.
For Museum Nord cultural exchange, learning from similarities between the countries, and an arena for finding inspiration to further develop our museums and organization, areas where we have benefited from the bilateral cooperation.
