Intramuros

Intramuros ( Spanish / Latin , in German roughly "within the walls") describes a district of the Philippine capital Manila that is completely surrounded by walls. During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, the district was the seat of the Spanish colonial administration, as evidenced by the buildings that have been preserved, e.g. B. the "Palacio del Gobernador" (Governor's Palace) or the Cathedral of Manila . The Colegio de San Juan de Letran , the oldest university in the country, is also located here. Intramuros is referred to as the actual (original) Manila. Today the district is one of the city's attractions.

Map of Intramuros around 1898

Blancos garden in Intramuros

Within Intramuros is the Fort Santiago fortress, which was founded in 1570 by Martín de Goiti as Fuerza de Santiago to offer the Spanish conquistadors a refuge against guerrilla attacks by Muslim natives.

In 1574 Fuerza de Santiago was besieged by 3,000 Chinese pirates led by Lim ah Hong ; Goiti took over the defense of the city. Goiti lost his life in the process, the city initially came under the control of pirates, and in 1575 it was recaptured by Juan de Salcedo . During the British invasion of the Philippines in 1762 , Intramuros was the scene of the Battle of Manila, which took place on 5-6. October took place. The fortress was badly damaged in the bombardment, but could be repaired after the end of the British occupation in 1764.

During the Second World War , Intramuros was largely destroyed by the Japanese and especially when it was retaken by the Allies . Today, however, parts of it are considered a well-restored district of Manila. Although some buildings have been restored, many of them are in a deplorable condition. Even the war damage is very often still visible.

literature

Pedro Luengo Gutiérrez: Intramuros. Arquitectura en Manila, 1739–1762 (= Colección Tesis doctorales “Cum laude”. 35). Fundación Universitaria Española, Madrid 2012, ISBN 978-84-7392-790-1 (Also: Sevilla, University, dissertation, 2012).