Castell de la Trinitat

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Castell de la Trinitat
Castell de la Trinitat

Castell de la Trinitat

Alternative name (s): Castillo de la Trinidad
Creation time : 16th Century
Place: Roses
Geographical location 42 ° 14 '51 "  N , 3 ° 11' 2"  E Coordinates: 42 ° 14 '51 "  N , 3 ° 11' 2"  E
Castell de la Trinitat (Catalonia)
Castell de la Trinitat

The Castell de la Trinitat ( Catalan ; Spanish Castillo de la Trinidad ; about 'Trinity Fortress ') is a renovated 16th century military artillery fortress in the city of Roses .

Location and original construction

The Castell de la Trinitat is located on a rocky elevation , the Punta de la Poncella , about 60 meters above sea level , directly on the bay of Roses. The fortress had a wall thickness of two to five meters, with a height of 18 to 20 meters. The fort was constructed irregularly in a star shape. The sharp edges of the five-pointed outer walls were designed to repel enemy projectiles. Four protruding bastions were used to fire cannons in all directions and a fifth was the entrance bastion . Three different levels of this artillery fortress housed cannons, mortars and howitzers , respectively . The lower two levels were used to defend the port and the city; the top level was for fighting the enemy on Mount Puig Rom . The castell had two cisterns , storerooms, weapons depots and powder magazines and was designed for a military crew of a maximum of around 350 soldiers.

history

The castle on a military situation representation from 1645 (top right)

Roses was repeatedly attacked and looted by North African pirates in the early 16th century . On the occasion of a personal site visit, Emperor Charles V decided to fortify this strategically important coastal city militarily . The establishment of the Ciutadella de Roses in 1543 was the first step of the Spanish monarch to achieve a comprehensive military fortification of Roses, which should also serve to protect against the warring French. A year later, the defensive bulwark was expanded with the establishment of the "cannon fortress" Trinity; the completion of the castle took place in 1651. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, Roses and its military fortifications were repeatedly the sites of bloody siege and conquest campaigns by the French and Austrians. The last occupation took place in 1808 under Napoleon Bonaparte , after the fortress had previously been defended by an Anglo-Spanish occupation under Alexander Cochrane , who had part of the castle blown up when they withdrew to English ships. In 1814 the Castell de la Trinitat was blown up further by the French during the Napoleonic War and was only preserved as a ruin until 2002.

Restoration and current use

The Castell de la Trinitat was rebuilt and restored from 2002 by the municipality of Roses. The restoration did not take place historically , but authentic building fabric and quarry stone masonry were combined with (modern) exposed concrete walls. The building has been open to the public again since September 26, 2010. A museum is to be established in the Castell, which has been restored for around two million euros. Gastronomic facilities, conferences and other events will also be made possible in the Castell de la Trinitat in the future. The aim of the municipality of Roses is to preserve the cultural “heritage” of this formerly important coastal fortress in its construction and history and to use it in a contemporary way.

gallery

  • Partial view

  • Castle gate

  • Viewing terrace

  • Indoor shot

literature

  • Pablo de la Fuente: Les fortificacions reials del golf de Roses en l'época moderna . Ajuntament de Roses, Figueres 1998, ISBN 84-88589-54-9 .
  • Carlos Díaz, Hug Palou and Anna M. Puig: La Ciutadella de Roses . 1998.
  • David Pujol i Fabrelles: Les pedres parlen. La Ciutadella de Roses . 1999.

Web links

Commons : Castell de la Trinitat  - Collection of images, videos and audio files