Fortaleza de Nossa Senhora da Conceição

The small 18th-century fortress at the south end of the harbour is Póvoa's most distinctive monument. Begun in 1701 and finished around 1740 during the reign of João V, it is a textbook example of the small star-shaped coastal forts that defended Portugal's Atlantic harbours from privateers.

The exterior walls are open to public viewing year-round; the interior houses a small museum and is open with limited hours. The site is most striking at sunset, when the granite walls catch the light over the boats in the harbour.

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The fort replaced an earlier sandbag-and-timber defence after privateers raided the harbour repeatedly through the 17th century. The star-shaped layout was state of the art when construction began under Pedro II in 1701, and the bastions survive almost intact — though the fort never actually fired its guns in anger.

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