Citadel of Jaca
The Citadel of Jaca (Ciudadela de Jaca; Castillo de San Pedro) is a fortification ( citadel ) in the shape of a regular pentagon in the city of Jaca in Aragon .
history
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The construction of the plant began in 1592 (almost simultaneously with the nine-cornered Palmanova in Veneto ) during the reign of King Philip II of Spain under the direction of the Italian engineer Tiburzio Spannocchi . The occasion was the European wars of religion of the 16th century and the strategically important location of the city of Jaca near the border and at the foot of important passes to France. The construction was completed in 1670. In 1707 the fortress was attacked by the troops of Archduke Charles of Austria during the War of the Spanish Succession . During the War of Independence of 1809 it was occupied by the troops of Marshal Suchet , but was recaptured in 1814 by Spanish troops under General Espoz y Mina. In 1951 the fortress was declared a Monumento Histórico Artistico ( Bien de Interés Cultural ). The well-preserved citadel , which is still partially used by the military, was restored in 1968. In 1985 it was awarded the Europa Nostra Prize for its restoration . In 2007 a museum of military miniatures (Museo de Miniaturas Militares) was opened in the fortress. The entrance walls were reconstructed in 2010.
Pentagonal fortifications
The regular pentagonal (pentagonal) complex resembles the only slightly older mountain fortress Wülzburg near Weißenburg in Bavaria , but differs from it in its location in the valley. Pentagonal fortifications were developed since the middle of the 16th century ( Fortezza da Basso in Florence 1534, but just like the fortress Lichtenau (after 1553), the fortress Orsoy on the Lower Rhine (from 1565) and the fortress Friedrichsort (from 1663) on an irregular ground plan ), the citadel of Doullens ( Picardy ) from 1530, the fortress Dömitz from 1559, the citadel of Turin 1564, the citadel of Antwerp 1567, both largely demolished in 1857 and 1859, the citadel of Pamplona from 1571 (largely preserved), the Fortress Bourtange in the Netherlands from 1580, the citadel of 's-Hertogenbosch from 1637, the Harburg castle 1644, the citadel of Münster (1661, pulled down in 1764), the citadel Vechta from 1666, the castle of Copenhagen (completed 1667), the Citadel of Lille from 1668; the citadel of Strasbourg from 1681; Nieuw-Amsterdam (Suriname) from 1734.
investment
In Jaca there is the pentagonal arms place with a sculpture of Philip II in the center , which is surrounded by two-story buildings, in which u. a. the miniature museum and other exhibition rooms are located. The church is on the edge and the powder magazines are on the north side. Casemates and bastions are located at the five corners of the complex , which are closed off by a surrounding fortress moat and the glacis . Access is through a gate to the city and a bridge over the moat, which is partly constructed as a drawbridge .
Entrance to the fortress
The fortress from the outside
The fortress from the inside
Cannon in the fortress
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Web links
Coordinates: 42 ° 34 ′ 20 ″ N , 0 ° 33 ′ 10 ″ W.