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FCC completed the refurbishment of the
Gracia Fortification in the Portuguese city of
Elvas in the Portoalegre district; 195 km from
Lisbon and less than 20 km from Badajoz.
Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the president of the Re-
public of Portugal, inaugurated the project.
Attending the ceremony on behalf of FCC
Construcción were Antonio Pérez Gil, repre-
sentative of the Centre and Portugal branch
office, and Antonio Ribeiro Mendes, the cou-
ntry manager in Portugal.
Also known as the Conde de Lippe Fortifi-
cation, it has been classified as a National
Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage
since 2012. Ramalho Rosa Cobetar, the
Portuguese subsidiary of FCC Construcción,
was in charge of the refurbishment of this ar-
chitectural complex of a military nature.
The aim of the project was the recovery and
conservation of the structure of the refurbis-
hment of the fortification which occupies a
12 hectare area. The investment required
was 56.1 million euros, 4.7 million of which
was a subsidy from the European Union and
One of the most
important fortifications
in the world
The Gracia Fortification is considered
one of the most important one in the
world. In 1980 it ceased to be military
building and remained neglected and
abandoned since 1992.
The site consists of three defensive li-
nes: the first line is a polygonal structu-
re that creates a star-shaped fortress.
The second line consists of a fortified
bastion, and the third line includes a
central fortress, an octagonal tower
with vaulted ceilings which houses
the governor’s house in the two upper
floors.
FCC’s experience
in refurbishment
FCC Construcción has broad experien-
ce in the refurbishment of historic buil-
dings, including the General Archive of
Simancas in Valladolid, the Fuensalida
Palace in Toledo, and the Casón del
Buen Retiro and the Prado Museum in
Madrid.
FCC refurbishes
the
Gracia Fortification in
Elvas (Portugal)
Classified as a National Monument and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO,
the fortification opens to the public after one year of refurbishment work.
President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico
presided the inauguration ceremony of
the San José del Cabo- Cabo San Lucas
highway in which FCC was involved and
built the four junctions that connect the
highway to secondary roads. Also at the
event were the secretary of communica-
tions and transport, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza,
the governor of Baja California Sur State,
Carlos Mendoza Davis, the president of the
municipality of San José del Cabo, Arturo
de la Roca Escalante, and other relevant
authorities.
FCC was represented at the ceremony by
Enrique Díaz Valdés, country manager of
FCC Construcción Mexico, and Juan An-
tonio Hernández Carrillo, manager of the
Construction II Department.
The 38.7 kilometre infrastructure requi-
red an investment of 147million euros
(2,500 Mexican pesos). It will benefit about
238,000 people who live in the towns of La
Paz and Los Cabos.
The highway is part of the priority infrastruc-
ture plan to support the tourism business in
Baja California Sur by:
•
Boosting the tourism and commercial
activity in both cities.
•
Reduce travel time from one town to
another from 40 to 17 minutes.
•
Improve mobility between the Interna-
tional Los Cabos Airport and the tou-
rist destinations in the state.
The president of México,
Enrique Peña Nieto,
inaugurates the San
José del Cabo-Cabo
San Lucas highway
the remaining sum contributed by the Muni-
cipal Chamber.
The work consisted mainly of recovering the
walls, cleaning the tapestries, and repairing
the damage caused by neglect. The mili-
tary compound has been adapted to house
cultural events and is open to the public. A
museum program was prepared for the pur-
pose of recovering its history.