Castell de Montjuïc

Castell de Montjuic

Built in 1640 by rebels against Felipe IV, the castle has had a dark history as a symbol of Barcelona's military domination by foreign powers, usually the Spanish army. The fortress was stormed several times, most famously in 1705 by Lord Peterborough for Archduke Carlos of Austria. In 1808, during the Peninsular War, it was seized by the French under General Dufresne. Later, during an 1842 civil disturbance, Barcelona was bombed from its heights by a Spanish artillery battery making it a symbol of centralist repression and of the abolition of Catalan liberties. For this reason, many Catalans have a profound affection for the building, whose imposing outline now represents a purely symbolic resistance to rule by the Spanish government from Madrid.

The castle is particularly famous because it housed the late nineteenth century victims of both social and political repression of struggling workers.. In fact, it is here that they tortured and imprisoned the workers involved in a wave of anarchist violence in the 1890s. The trail that followed the arrests, known as the Montjuic process, became famous for the strictness and torture that took place.

After the 1936-39 Spanish civil war, the castle was used as a dungeon for political prisoners. Lluís Companys, president of the Generalitat de Catalunya during the civil war, was executed by firing squad here on October 14, 1940 and dumped in La Fossa Perdrera, the mass grave of the victims of Francoism in Barcelona at the Montjuic cimetery. The castle was used as a military prison until 1960 when it was given back to the city and used as an army base. Three years later, Franco opened a weapons museum in the castle.
In 2007 the fortress was formally ceded back to Barcelona and the military museum was closed in 2009.

The present uses of the space include a Interpretation Center for Peace, a Space for Historical Memory, and a Montjuïc Interpretation Center, along with cultural and educational events and activities. A popular weekend park and picnic area, the moat contains attractive gardens, with one side given over to an archery range, and the various terraces have panoramic views over the city and out to sea.

From the corner bastions in particular, the visitor has a panoramic view across the whole of the metropolis. On the west side stands an ornate memorial to Francisco Franco, which is gradually becoming dilapidated and in the moat there is an archery ground. In the whole fortess site there are several large-calibre guns which command the whole of the port area. It is well worth taking a walk round the flat roof of the citadel. From there there is a complete panorama over the sea, port, city and mountains. 



Back : Montjuic Tour
Next : The Mirador de l'Alcalde (2), the Mayor's Viewing Point, a garden located on the mountain of Montjuïc very near the castle at the top, honours its name by the exceptional views of Barcelona it provides.