Castillo de Santa Bárbara
| Castillo de Santa Bárbara | ||
|---|---|---|
 View of the castle from the port |
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| Creation time : | 9th century | |
| Place: | Alicante | |
| Geographical location | 38 ° 20 '56.4 " N , 0 ° 28' 40.8" W | |
| Height: | 166 msnm | |
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The Castillo de Santa Bárbara (in Valencian "Castell de Santa Bàrbara", from Spanish "Castle of Santa Barbara") is a sight of the city of Alicante and is located in the city center on the mountain Benacantil , which with a height of 166 msnm and its proximity to the sea has great strategic value for the city. The so-called “la cara del moro” (German “the face of the Moor” or “the face of the Arab”), the city's icon, is depicted on the silhouette of the mountain. This can be viewed from the beach and harbor.
history
On the 166 meter high Benacantil mountain , one of the largest castles in Europe towers over the city. The importance of this castle can be seen from the archaeological finds there; Remains from the Bronze Age, traces of the Iberians, the Romans and the Moors , due to their knowledge of the strategic location of the mountain, the construction of the castle in the 9th century, which is divided into three different parts.
The highest and at the same time oldest part of the castle is called La Torreta and was the location of the Moorish Alcázar . The intermediate section from the 11th to 13th centuries is called the Baluarte de los Ingleses, the stronghold of the English, the third and youngest part from the 18th century is called Revellín del Bon Repós.
The cartographer al-Idrisi described the location of the castle on the mountain Banu-lQatil, which is probably a toponym for pinna ( Arabic for on top ) and laqanti, adjective form of Laqant , the Arabic name for Alicante.
Legend about the face of the Moors from Mount Benacantil
The Castillo de Santa Bárbara is directly connected to the local legend about the so-called Moorish face on the silhouette of the Benacantil mountain . According to this, the caliph was looking for a husband for his beautiful and only daughter, Princess Cántara. In order to be able to choose between the two young Muslims Aly and Almanzor, both were given a task. Almanzor had to travel to India to bring rare plants to his beloved , while Aly had to build an acequía (irrigation canal) to transport the green water from Tibi to Alicante for his beloved .
Legend has it that Almanzor concentrated very much on his task, while Aly dedicated poems to his lover. As a result, Cántara fell in love with Aly. However, it was ultimately Almanzor who was allowed to ask for her hand after his return. When Aly found out, he threw himself inconsolable from the mountaintop and died. Cántara could not imagine a life without Aly and also jumped from the mountain top to her death. Shaken by the death of his beautiful daughter, the caliph died because of his grief. After his death, an image of his face was formed at the place where Cántara and Aly committed suicide. Enthusiastic about this legend, the court is said to have named the city Alicántara , which is said to have given the name Alicante .
Origin of name
As a reminder that the castle was built on December 4, 1248, the day of St. Barbara was freed from the Moorish occupation by Alfonso X. of Castile , the castle was given the name of St. Barbara.
Timetable
| Surname | Incident | By |
|---|---|---|
| 9th century | Start of the first phase of construction La Torreta | Moorish occupiers |
| December 04, 1248 | Conquest by Castilian troops | Alfonso X of Castile |
| 1296 | Conquest by Aragonese troops | Jacob II |
| until 1597 | Expansion and expansion of the fortifications |
Peter IV Charles V Philip II |
| 1708 | Bombing by French troops during the War of the Spanish Succession . The fortress was occupied by English troops. | Claude François Bidal, 1st marquis d'Asfeld |
| 1873 | Shelling of the fortress and the city by the frigate "Numancia" during the "glorious revolution" | |
| until 1962 | Use of the facility as a prison | |
| 1963 | Opening of the facility to the public |
Picture gallery
Sculpture of an archer
Interior of the castle
View from the castle
The "face of the Moor", the icon of Alicante
Remains of a church in the castle
Castle view at night
Access
- Several staircases and ramps, one behind the other, lead up the mountain from the old town. These are in very good structural condition, but they have steep gradients and are therefore only suitable for physically capable people. The ascent takes about 30 minutes.
- Another access is the elevator, which has been installed inside the Benacantil mountain and which can be reached via a 200 m long tunnel from Avenida de Jovellanos, opposite Postiguet beach. There is a fee to use the elevator and it only has limited operating hours.
- A street (Avda. Alfonso el Sabio) also leads on the back of the mountain to a free parking lot directly in the lower part of the castle, the Revellín del Bon Repós. From there, another ascent to the fortress is possible.
La Ereta Park, which also serves as an entrance, runs from Santa Barbara Castle down to the old town. The entrances to the castle are closed around 11 p.m. in the summer months.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Internet page on the origin of the name ( Memento of the original of September 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
