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Castle of Santa Bárbara

Alacant/Alicante, L'Alacantí, Alicante

1 Villages · 7 Monuments · 5 Nature · 3 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 5 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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Castle of Santa Bárbara

Monument · Alacant/Alicante, L'Alacantí, Alicante

A fortress located in the centre of Alicante, on Mount Benacantil, a rocky outcrop 166 metres high beside the sea which, seen from the beach, resembles a face and gives the mountain its nickname, the Moor's face. Although there are Bronze Age, Iberian and Roman archaeological remains on its slopes, the fortress dates back to the late 9th century, in the midst of Muslim rule; the infante Alfonso, future Alfonso X, took it from the Arabs on 4 December 1248, the feast of Santa Bárbara, which gave it its name. Successive kings extended its defences, and between 1562 and 1580 most of the buildings that survive today were constructed. Declared a monumento histórico-artístico (former Spanish heritage designation, predecessor of the Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1961, it lay in ruins until 1963, when it was opened to the public. It is one of the city's main symbols.

Photo: Artistosteles (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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