Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its Fortifications

Star-shaped ramparts ring Elvas in the world's largest bulwarked dry-ditch system. Fortification began in earnest after Portugal regained its independence in 1640, following designs by the Dutch Jesuit padre Cosmander — the finest surviving work of the Dutch school of fortification — and continued into the 19th century. Inside wait barracks, churches and monasteries; outside, the Amoreira aqueduct built to outlast sieges. UNESCO inscribed the garrison town in 2012.