Mayor José Juan Franco Rodríguez signed the membership documents in mid-October, making his town of La Línea de la Concepción the first Spanish member of the network. The town is located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and was founded in the 18th century in response to the conquest of the Gibraltar Peninsula by the British. With several fortifications in a defence line from the early 18th century, it was an important bulwark against the threat to Spain from the United Kingdom. It rtained its fortified character until the Second World War with the construction of a line of bunkers. Membership of FORTE CULTURA is associated with the expectation of better linking historical heritage and tourism developments and implementing them throughout Europe.