Fortaleza de Santa Cruz de Anhatomirim

Fortaleza de Santa Cruz de Anhatomirim is a historic fortress located on Anhatomirim Island in Governador Celso Ramos, Santa Catarina, representing the main fortification of an 18th-century defensive system. Built starting in 1739 by Portuguese Brigadier José da Silva Paes, the fortress was the principal vertex of a triangular defensive network protecting the Island of Santa Catarina, alongside the fortresses of São José da Ponta Grossa and Santo Antônio de Ratones. The structure displays Renaissance architectural influences characteristic of Portuguese colonial military design. Declared a National Historical and Artistic Heritage in 1938, the fortress fell into abandonment until restoration efforts in the 1970s and 1980s brought it back to serviceable condition. Currently maintained by the Federal University of Santa Catarina, it operates daily from 9 AM to 6:30 PM and is accessible primarily by boat tours.