Castillo de San Julián, Cartagena, Spain

The Castillo de San Julián was built between the 18th and 19th centuries, incorporating a tower which had been built by the British in 1706. The fort remains intact today, but it is in a rather dilapidated state.

History

The Castillo de San Julián is located on and takes its name from the Monte de San Julián. In 1706, the British captured Cartagena during the War of the Spanish Succession, and they built a cylindrical tower on the hill. Following the end of the war, the Spanish began to build a fort on the hill in order to protect the mouth of Cartagena's harbour. The new fort incorporated the British tower, and construction took a very long time, being completed in 1883.

The fort was used as a military prison during the Spanish Civil War.

Today, the fort is still intact but it is in a rather dilapidated state. It is listed on the Bien de Interés Cultural, and is currently owned by Telefónica, who have installed a number of antennas within the fort. The city administration is attempting to acquire and restore the fort.

The Castillo de San Julián is essentially a bastioned fort, but it also contains tenailles and caponiers, which are typical of polygonal forts. It is built in neoclassical architecture.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Spain

User Reviews

njb (2 years ago)
Motorcycle ride to the top was very good fun and lovely views! Sad to see what a telephone company has done to such an impressive castle though.

Sawasdeekat (2 years ago)
A deserted fortress on top of the hill outside Cartagena. A good walk (over 350 metres high) to the top. The sights of the port, town and area are good but the fortress itself is deserted and sadly have graffiti on it.

Magnus jorborg (2 years ago)
Liked it a lot. Nice to spend a day exploring.

Maria Vich (4 years ago)
Really nice for soft hiking !!!!

Alejandro Perez (5 years ago)
Superb, very difficult to drive, can easily damage the car but the views are astonishing.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

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