Castell de Sant Ferran

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Castell de Sant Ferran
Fortress view

Fortress view

Alternative name (s): Castillo de San Fernando
Creation time : 18th century
Place: Figueres
Geographical location 42 ° 16 '26 "  N , 2 ° 56' 47"  E Coordinates: 42 ° 16 '26 "  N , 2 ° 56' 47"  E
Castell de Sant Ferran (Catalonia)
Castell de Sant Ferran

The Sant Ferran ( Castilian Castillo de San Fernando , German  Fort San Fernando ) is the largest fortress in Europe from the 18th century and the largest structure of Catalonia .

Location and construction

The Castell de Sant Ferran is in an exposed position northwest above the town of Figueres on a plateau. The bulwark fortress has a diameter of three kilometers and extends over an area of ​​more than 32 hectares.

The fortress forms an irregular octagon and is enclosed by a double defensive wall. The defenses include six bastions that form the inner ring with the four curtains connecting them in the north, south and west and the stable in the east. Four bastions form the "corner points" in the north (Sant Jaume), northwest (Sant Felip), south (Sant Dalmau) and southeast (Sant Narcís), while two further bastions halfway in the east (Santa Tecla) and west (Santa Bárbara ) protrude from the long sides. Four ravelins cover the curtain wall and the stable between the bastions in the east (Roser, Les Ànimes) and west (Sant José, Sant Antoni). The curtains on the north and south sides and the western bastion are each protected by a horn (Sant Roc, Sant Miquel, Sant Zenó). The curtain wall of each horn factory, in which there are accommodations for the crew, is also covered by a ravelin. In front of the western "corner bastions" there are counter-guards (Sant Pere, Sant Joan) and complete the outer defensive ring. A system of trenches surrounding and separating the inner ring of defense and each element of the outer ring, along with a covered pathway surrounding the entire complex, completes the fortification. The fortress is accessed via the southern hornworks "Sant Roc".

Since the entire hill was first leveled and removed for the construction of the fortress in order to create a sufficiently large area, the fortress is mostly on rock and can therefore hardly be attacked by undermining . Such an attack on the hornworks "Sant Zenó" is only partially possible on the heavily secured west side, which is why there are a total of five masonry mine tunnels at the outer foot of the trench , which protrude westward like the fingers of a hand into the apron and in their rear third have several cross passages with listening chambers at each end. From there, excavation activities could be recognized and located by listening posts. If the direction of the excavation was known, the nearest listening chamber could be filled with explosives and this countermine detonated at the shortest possible distance. The shock wave then collapsed the enemy tunnel.

The military fortification complex has numerous structures (still preserved today), two drawbridges that have now been removed and a large arsenal. A water supply of ten million liters could be stored in each of the four cisterns below the arsenal. Each cistern can be reached via a central connecting passage, via which it can also be emptied if necessary, can be filled separately and has its own well shaft for water extraction (a total of four wells at the corners of the courtyard). The water comes from sources outside the facility via a water pipe. The military complex was designed for a regular crew of 6,000 soldiers and 500 horses. The quarters of the commandant, officers and specialists are located around the arsenal. The huge horse stable, which is laid out as a casemate in the eastern wall and has access to the fortress moat, is particularly impressive .

history

Artillery pieces flank a memorial stone to Saint Ferdinand
Cavalry stables
Access area

The fortress of Castell de Sant Ferran was planned in 1753 as a replacement for border fortresses further north that fell to France, among others by the military architects Pedro Martín Cermeño and Juan Martín Cermeño and served as a protection from the French . After 13 years of construction, the fortress was completed and was named after King Ferdinand the saint . During the Napoleonic War , the fortress was conquered by the French and occupied by military forces. The former defender of Girona , General Álvarez de Castro , who was considered a hero of the region , died inside the fortress in Napoleonic captivity. The fortress was later retaken by Spanish troops.

At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War , Sant Ferran served the International Brigades as an ammunition store and depot for works of art. Numerous works of art from the Prado in Madrid were also housed within the fortress walls during the civil war in order to protect them from possible destruction. The last session of the badly decimated republican parliament took place in the fortress in February 1939. Its members were already on the run from Franco's troops. The two ammunition depots of the fortress were blown up by the Republicans in order not to leave the ammunition to the Franquists, while the actual main gate of the fortress, located in the southeast curtain wall, as well as the hospital and the northeast half of the stable were completely destroyed, whereby the inner ring was completely destroyed broken and the fortress became unusable as a military bulwark. The damage was never repaired.

After the end of the civil war, the fortress was taken over by the Franco regime and used as a military training facility and ammunition depot. Since 1966, the Castell de Sant Ferran has not been used primarily for military purposes and has since served as a prison, among other things. Those responsible for the military coup of February 23, 1981 were imprisoned here. In 1991 the prison was closed and the fortress was no longer used.

Cultural and historical monument

Artistic homage to Salvador Dalí

The fortress of Castell de Sant Ferran was declared a cultural and historical monument in 1949. The former military complex has been open to the public since 1997 and is partially being restored.

sightseeing

By prior arrangement, visitors can take a guided tour (in English, Spanish, Catalan or French) that includes a tour of the ditch system, a visit to the mine passages and a rubber dinghy ride through one of the cisterns, and an audio tour (with headphones) is also available . The inner fortress area and the "Sant Roc" horn factory can also be visited independently and explored - taking into account the restricted zones. The ravelins, counter-guards and the hornworks "Sant Miguel" and "Sant Zenó" as well as the trench system and the interior of the building are not accessible due to current use or for safety reasons regarding the building fabric.

particularities

In 1927, the surrealist painter , graphic artist , writer , sculptor and set designer Salvador Dalí did his military service in the Castell de Sant Ferran .

literature

  • Joan Manuel Alfaro Guixot: El castell de Sant Ferran de Figueres , Figueres, Les Fortaleses Catalanes, 2007 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: El castell de Sant Ferran de Figueres: la seva història , Barcelona, ​​Generalitat de Catalunya (Spanish and Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "Les obres per instal·lar el penal de Figueres a la fortalesa de Sant Ferran", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 32 (1999), 193-214 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "Obres al castell de Sant Ferran després de la voladura de l'any 1939", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 33 (2000), 167-189 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "L'artilleria i el castell de Sant Ferran de Figueres", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 34 (2001), 401-422 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "La construcció de la plaça forta de Sant Ferran a Figueres", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 36 (2003), 265-295 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "La fortalesa de Sant Ferran de Figueres i l'aigua", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 37 (2004), 257-279 (Catalan)
  • Carlos Díaz Capmany: "Els enginyers de la fortalesa de Sant Ferran de Figueres", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 38 (2005), 279-302 (Catalan)
  • Pablo de la Fuente: "Anàlisi d'alguns aspectes sobre la concepció teòrica del projecte del castell de Sant Ferran", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 29 (1996), 177-190 (Catalan)
  • Albert Testart i Guri: "La premsa del castell de Sant Ferran de Figueres durant l'època franquista", Annals de l'Institut d'Estudis Empordanesos , 37 (2004), 345-370 (Catalan)

Web links

Commons : Castell de Sant Ferran (Figueres)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files