Fortalesa de Sant Carles
Fortalesa de Sant Carles is a historic fortress in the capital Palma on the Balearic island of Mallorca . It is located on the western side of the port complex of Palma on the Carretera al Dic del l'Oest , around 3 km south of the Castell de Bellver .
history
Since ancient times the bay of Cala de Portopí has been a strategically important point to protect the port of Palma from pirates and privateers. In the 13th century, a defense tower Torre de Senyals de Portopí was built on the site of the later fortress , which also served as a beacon . At the beginning of 1600, the planning of the castle complex on the western city wall border of Palma began on the order of King Felipe III.
Construction began in 1608 and the first section was completed in 1610. The extension was completed in 1612, whereby the old defense tower was included in the fortress and forms the eastern corner of the fortress. At that time the castle was still called Castell de Portopí , only later the name was changed to Fortalesa de Sant Carles . In 1662–1663 the fortress was enclosed with a fortification wall and corresponds to today's rectangular appearance. From 1932 to 1939, during the uprising against the Republic , the facility was used as a prison together with Castell de Bellver and housed political prisoners.
In 1981 the fortress was converted into a museum of the Spanish army and furnished. The exhibits mainly show war material from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and a section of the museum is dedicated to the Mallorcan general Valerià Weyler i Nicolau .
The fortress is in good condition and is illuminated at night.
Web links
- Ajuntament de Palma
- Museo Militar Sant Carles, Dic de l'Oest (Portopí) (Spanish)
- Castell de Sant Carles on www.illesbalears.travel, accessed January 20, 2018
- Castell de Sant Carles from burgenwelt.de, accessed on January 20, 2018
Coordinates: 39 ° 32 ′ 42.9 " N , 2 ° 37 ′ 22.3" E