Montjuïc Castle is an old military fortress, built around 1600, on top of the Montjuïc hill in Barcelona.
The foundation stone was laid out in 1640. A year later, the fort saw its first battle when the Principality of Catalonia challenged Spain's authority during the “Reaper’s War” from the Catalan Revolt. Pedro Fajardo, who was the king at that time, proceeded to crush the revolt with an army of 26.000 men. The Spanish recaptured several cities but were defeated by the Catalans at the Battle of Montjuïc.
In 1694, new bastions and battlements were built and the fortress became a castle. In the Siege of Barcelona, in 1705, the fortress was captured by the British Army. The old fort was demolished in 1751 creating the new castle that was shaped between 1779 and 1799 in order to improve the majestic building.
In the last three centuries, Montjuïc Castle has played a role in the history of Barcelona, becoming a symbol after the Catalan defeat to Spain in 1714 and Montjuïc become a prison and torture place. In the Spanish Civil War who took place between 1936 to 1939, both sides imprisoned, tortured and killed prisoners at Montjuïc. Among them was Lluís Companys, who was the president of Catalonia and who was executed in 1940. In 1963, Francisco Franco inaugurated the Military Armor Museum, the official name given to the institution.
In April 2007, the government transferred the castle to Barcelona City Council and became a municipal facility. In 2010 the museum was closed and the City Council started a project of restoration and waterproofing.
The castle can be accessed by “Teleferic de Montjuïc” that has its upper station near the castle entrance and it is connected to the Barcelona Metro at Paral·lel station. The price for a two-way cable car ticket is 13.50 euros and you can buy it online from here.
For more details, you can visit Montjuïc Castle’s site.
TIP: You can acquire a Go Barcelona Pass – an electronic ticket on your mobile phone - that combines the city’s best points of interests. The card includes an audio guide for every attraction, a ticket for the official Barcelona city Hop-on Hop-Off tourist bus, a cruise and entrance for over 30 objectives. You can buy the pass here.
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