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How could a military order be transmitted over more than 80 kilometres at a time when there were no telephones, radios or any other modern means of instant communication? The answer can be found in the latest episode of Lines with History, devoted to the optical telegraph system used along the Lines of Torres Vedras during the Peninsular War.
Throughout the documentary, retired Portuguese Navy Captain Rui Manuel de Sá Leal takes viewers from the French invasion of 1807 to the construction of the Lines of Torres Vedras, explaining how Wellington realised that speed of communication would be crucial to the success of his defensive plan. Building forts and redoubts was not enough — a system was needed that could transmit orders between distant points of the defensive network within minutes.
The documentary explores the various optical telegraph systems in existence at the time, their limitations, and the reasons why Wellington and his engineers developed a system of their own, based on signal balls and flags. Using the Royal Navy’s code, it was fast enough to meet the demands of the battlefield. A demonstration of this ingenious mechanism in operation provides one of the documentary’s most illuminating moments.
More than an episode about military technology, Wireless Lines reveals a lesser-known aspect of the Lines of Torres Vedras: the importance of information and coordination within a defensive system that depended as much on the speed at which orders could be relayed as on the strength of its fortifications. A journey back to a time when the speed of a message could determine the outcome of a military campaign.
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Places are often introduced through lists of monuments, restaurants or landscapes. Madalena Santos prefers to start with the people. The owner of Flat 23, a holiday rental in Bombarral, she believes that welcoming a guest means far more than simply handing over a key: it means introducing them to a territory, sparking their curiosity and helping them discover a region that so often goes unnoticed by those merely passing through the Oeste on their way to or from the capital.
In conversation with Ana Raquel Machado, the guest on the seventh episode of InvadeCAST explains how Bombarral became the starting point for this mission. Wine tourism naturally plays a prominent role, thanks to the region’s estates and the municipality’s strong wine-making identity, but there is much more to the experience. Bacalhôa Buddha Eden, the orchards, the agricultural landscape and the proximity of the other municipalities in the Oeste region are all part of an offer which, in her view, should be promoted as a whole. ‘Together, we are stronger’, she says, referring to the partnerships she has developed to showcase the territory.
The conversation also turns to the Lines of Torres Vedras and the municipality’s historical heritage, particularly the Battle of Roliça — which we explore in another article — whose historical significance she believes could become a reason to visit in its own right. For Madalena Santos, historical re-enactments, walking trails, gastronomy, nature and heritage should be seen as parts of an integrated experience, capable of attracting visitors and encouraging them to return.
Inevitably, the conversation returns to Flat 23. Set in a family home built in 1943, the accommodation is presented less as somewhere to sleep than as a house with stories to tell. It is this sense of memory, combined with a love of welcoming guests and a deep affection for Bombarral, that makes hospitality its defining feature. Because, as Madalena makes clear throughout the interview, promoting a place always begins with the people who live there and take pleasure in sharing it with others.
TThe Historical Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras was honoured at the inaugural Destination Napoleon International Awards, winning the ‘Cultural and Educational Exchanges for Youth’ category in recognition of its work in cultural and educational engagement with younger audiences.
The award recognised, in particular, the development and use of the educational resources Jean, John and João and the board game Napoleon Bonaparte — The Beginning of the End, which have helped bring new generations closer to the history of the French invasions of Portugal and the heritage associated with the Lines of Torres Vedras. For the RHLT, the award is more than a distinction: it is an important recognition of the work carried out by its member municipalities to promote historical heritage, heritage education and European citizenship through culture.
The awards ceremony took place during the annual meeting of the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities (FECN) — Destination Napoleon, held in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, from 31 May to 2 June.
The meeting brought together representatives of the Destination Napoleon European network to review the work carried out over the previous year and define strategic priorities for the future. Among the initiatives highlighted was the Council of Europe Cultural Routes Training Academy, held in the territory of the Historical Route of the Lines of Torres Vedras, further strengthening the association’s role within the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes programme.
It was also announced that the RHLT would present the Wellington Honour Award to the European Federation of Napoleonic Cities during the National Day of the Lines of Torres Vedras celebrations, recognising its work in promoting Destination Napoleon — a European Cultural Route certified by the Council of Europe and dedicated to promoting shared history and inter-cultural dialogue among the peoples of Europe.
Among the projects and initiatives presented during the meeting was the RHLT’s participation in Lucca Comics & Games 2025, regarded as Europe’s leading pop culture festival, where the board game Napoleon Bonaparte — The Beginning of the End and the book Jean, John and João were showcased.
The programme also included presentations of European projects approved or submitted with RHLT participation, including Med-Routes, Napo-Hist (Erasmus+) and Napo-Games (Creative Europe). Maria João Martinho, from the RHLT team, also presented the final results of the Med-Routes project.
Ana Umbelino, vice-president of the FECN and a member of the RHLT executive secretariat, also introduced and moderated the session devoted to the Napoleonic Itineraries in Portugal, addressing collaborative networks and the European, national and local governance models underpinning their development.