As part of a strategy to enhance the heritage associated with the Battle of Bussaco, the municipalities of Mealhada, Mortágua, and Penacova, in cooperation with the Army, plan to intervene in historical infrastructures and sites of interest. The goal is to increase the territory's attractiveness, inviting visitors to discover the region through a significant event in Portuguese history and within the context of the Peninsular War, where Anglo-Portuguese forces resisted Napoleon Bonaparte's expansionist ambitions.
Interventions planned in Mealhada include the Bussaco Military Museum and adjacent areas, the Chapel of Our Lady of Victory, the Obelisk and Mural, the Sula Gates, and the Convent of Santa Cruz. In the municipality of Mortágua, works will focus on the Moinhos da Moura, Sula, and do Meligioso (Mills). In Penacova, interventions are planned for Wellington's Command Post, the Mill Museum, and Santo António do Cântaro.
This project will enable the connection, through a single route, of the main sites, vestiges, and memories of the 1810 Battle, crossing the three municipalities. The initiative aims to establish itself not only as a historical route but also as an integrated tourism product, focusing on Military Tourism and Nature Tourism, combining heritage, landscape, culture, and gastronomy.
The presentation of the Bussaco Route project took place on September 27th, during the battle's commemorations. The event was attended by the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Boga Ribeiro, and the Mayors António Jorge Franco (Mealhada), Ricardo Pardal (Mortágua), and Álvaro Coimbra (Penacova).
