World Fortifications Website

World Fortifications Website (www.fortalezas.org) is a realization of the Fortalezas Multimídia (Multimedia Fortress) project of Santa Catarina Federal University – UFSC, Brazil. It was idealized by Roberto Tonera, UFSC architect, Project coordinator, and it was started in 2001. At this time, the project has received the contribution of many people and entities which are in Website Technical Information.

Fortalezas.org Website provides freely access to world historical fortifications database (existing constructions, simple ruins or even disappeared), where you can consult, research and contribute with its contents online. This contribution to database, in text and medias (pictures, old iconographies, maps, vídeos, CAD projects, among others), can be done by anyone interested, in portuguese, spanish and english, from anywhere with Internet access.

Also, you can research and contribute for information about bibliographies, historical characters, links (websites) and thematic texts (Forum) related to fortifications.

Any person who is free registered to Website as a contributor user can add any register – be it a new fortification, bibliography, character, link (website) or Forum text (Check Terms of Use). By this way, user becomes tutor of the added register, the only one who can edit it. This tutor, however, is able to receive contributions (pictures, texts etc) from other users, increasing, improving or correcting registered contents. This contribution will be subject to register Tutor approval, with guarantees of integrity and trustworthiness about information available in Website.

Fortalezas.org Website is not an electronic forms repository of passive view of notes. It actually works as a relational database, where a lot of information fields allow to make comparative studies between fortifications, by combined searches for typology, name, geographic localization, construction date, projector, original nationality, use, legal protection, conservation, constructive techniques or even searching for any word into the descriptive texts of these constructions, among other available research inquiries.

Database, search and adding data tools work integrally in Internet ambient. It’s not necessary to install any additional program into user’s computer. It allows that fortalezas.org Website works with no operational costs to user, as a dynamic and interactive way of share researches to specialists, teachers, students and people in general, who can use it in a cyber coffee, in your institution, at school, or even at home.

Beyond the contribution to socialize the access to information, which is very important, fortalezas.org Website looks for democratize the knowledge construction, by creating a virtual and international community focused on the fortifications study, publicizing and valorization. It serves to the purposes: management tool, patrimonial education tool and base for studies and scientific investigations. It works yet as a documentation tool, promotion, conservation and diffusion of these monuments. Therefore, it is a mechanism of action in favour of fortifications memory and preservation.

The permanent growing process of fortalezas.org database happens by international participation of many contributors, in their languages of preference, from available origins in public files, institutions preservation, historical institutes, universities, schools, libraries or even personal collections, which contributes to a real representativeness of fortifications around the world, in a work of big cooperative potential among researchers, institutions and people interested in.

These objectives will be easily reached by increasing interchanges with other brazilian researchers and institutions and other countries interested in fortifications preservation. For this reason, we need your contribution and your participation. Contact us.

Roberto Tonera Architect

Researcher of Santa Catarina Federal University – UFSC (Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina), and Coordinator of Fortalezas Multimídia (Multimedia Fortress) project.

E-mail: roberto.tonera@ufsc.br

Telephones: (55 48) 3721 5118 and 99636324

See yet:

Fortalezas.org Website Policy of Use.

Technical Information of fortalezas.org Website development.