Antiga Escola Prática de Cavalaria - Rua dos Antigos Combatentes do Ultramar

It was where I did military service ❤️❤️❤️❤️

A bit of the history of Santarém and Portugal. It's a pity to see everything so abandoned and destroyed

The EPC was created in 1890 and deactivated in 2013, passing its functions to the then created Escola das Armas. The Practical Cavalry School was deactivated on October 1, 2013, following the decision taken to unify the various practical schools of arms of the Army into a single School of Arms. In 1887, the Practical School of Infantry and Cavalry was created, headquartered in the Convento de Mafra. In 1890, this school and the Infantry school were separated. The first headquarters is in Vila Viçosa. The first years are full of action, particularly in Mozambique, to establish Portuguese sovereignty in that country. In 1902, the School moved to Torres Novas. With the Implementation of the Portuguese Republic, on October 5, 1910, the army underwent several reforms. The EPC sees its name changed to School of Riding, in 1911. However, due to the limitation of functions that this new designation brought, it changed its name again to School of Application of Cavalry. With the Revolution of 28 May 1926, it regains its original designation of Practical School of Cavalry. Until World War II, the horse was the focal point of this school; although some armored means acquired from France and England already existed, those had not been attributed to this school. Only after the War did people start looking differently at armored vehicles - faster, more powerful and safer. This unit is equipped with motorcycles, "Bren" vehicles, trucks, anti-car cannons and anti-aircraft machine guns. In 1955, given the new operational equipment of this unit, and the expansion of its responsibilities with the entry of Portugal to NATO, in 1949, the school moved to new premises, in the Entroncamento, district of Santarém. In 1961, the Portuguese Colonial War began, which would only end thirteen years later, on the 25th of April, when the EPC had a fundamental role. With the help of their armored vehicles, they occupy the Terreiro do Paço, proceeding to the Quartel do Carmo, where they force Marcelo Caetano to turn himself in and ask for his resignation. In 2006, the EPC changed its location again, moving to Abrantes in 2006.