MONTJUÏC CASTLE

Description

Essentials about Montjuïc Castle in brief

Castell de Montjuïc (Montjuïc Castle) towers high above Barcelona on the local mountain Montjuïc. If you are interested in the history of Barcelona and especially want to get to know one of the best vantage points of the city, you should definitely make your way to the castle. From its walls you can enjoy a magnificent view over the Catalan capital, its port and the Mediterranean Sea.

The history of Montjuïc Castle

The relationship of the inhabitants of Barcelona to their castle is divided. The first walls were built in the mid-17th century to protect the city and the port. During a revolt against King Felipe IV in 1751, the old fortress was destroyed and in the following years Montjuïc Castle was built in its current form.

From the 18th century, the Castle was to become a place of terror for the Catalans. After they were defeated by the Spanish in 1714, the new rulers from Madrid used the fortress to keep rebellious Barcelona under control. In the 19th century, Barcelona was even bombed several times from the castle.

During the Spanish Civil War and General Franco’s subsequent dictatorship, Montjuïc Castle eventually became a symbol of the Spanish nationalists’ oppression of Catalonia. A military prison was established in the fortress, where over 170 people were executed during the Civil War alone, including Catalan President Lluís Companys. After his time as a military prison, Franco set up a military museum in the castle in the 1960s.

The castle was renovated and largely opened to the public for the 1992 Olympic Games, most of which were held at Montjuïc. In 2007, the castle finally became the property of the city of Barcelona. Today, concerts, seminars and exhibitions are held here regularly and the inhabitants of Barcelona seem to have slowly taken their castle back to their hearts, not only because of the magnificent view of their wonderful city.

Getting to Montjuïc Castle

There are several ways up to the castle. If you are in good shape, you should climb Montjuïc on foot. The path and the panoramas that open up are worth the effort. The most convenient option is to get off at the Paral-lel metro station and take the Funicular de Montjuïc funicular up the mountain. From the top station of the funicular to the castle it is about a 15-minute walk. If that’s also too much for you, you can transfer to the Telefèric de Montjuïc cable car at the funicular’s top station and get off right at the gates of the castle. It doesn’t get any more comfortable than that.