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Castillo de Galeras

Galeras Castle, also called Galeras Fort, stands 219 metres above sea level on the hill of the same name, in the San Antonio Abad district, west of the port of Cartagena. It is part of the defensive improvements of Charles III and protected the shipyards alongside the Atalaya castle. The works were carried out in the second half of the 18th century and were completed in 1777 by Mateo Vodopich, after being begun by Pedro Martín-Paredes Cermeño. It has a rectangular plan with five irregular bastions and one more to the north-east, a moat with a counterscarp and a drawbridge, and a large inner courtyard. From its south-west front run the walls of Charles III, about five kilometres long, which surround the Arsenal and the city. In July 1873 its garrison rose up during the Cantonal rebellion. It was a military prison and in 1987 it passed from the Army to the Navy. It has been a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC) since 1997.

Things to do at Castillo de Galeras: 3 missions

• Climb the path up Galeras hillGo up the road that leads to the fort, 219 metres high, and stop at the point where you can already see the silhouette of its bastions.
• Look at the port and the Arsenal from the hillFrom the top of the hill, pick out the port of Cartagena and the shipyards that the fort was meant to defend.
• Identify the bastions and the moat from outsideWalk around as much of the perimeter as you can from outside and recognise the corner bastions and the moat that surrounds it.

Near Castillo de Galeras

Source: Wikipedia - Castillo de Galeras