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Castle of Santa Cruz

Oleiros, Coruña, A Coruña

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 3 Nature · 1 Activities

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Castle of Santa Cruz

Monument · Oleiros, Coruña, A Coruña

The castle of Santa Cruz rises on a small islet — barely 1.9 hectares, covered with trees and gardens — in the Santa Cruz cove, facing the village of the same name, in the municipality of Oleiros (A Coruña), and is joined to the mainland by a wooden bridge. Built in the 16th century by order of General Diego das Mariñas to complete the defensive system of the A Coruña bay, after the English attack of 1589 it gradually lost strategic value until it became the pazo of Emilia Pardo Bazán's family, a summer residence for the writer and her husband; it was later used as a summer residence for orphans of military personnel. Today, owned by the city council, it has housed since 2001 the CEIDA environmental centre, with a library and guided tours, surrounded by a coastal promenade that runs around the island.

Photo: José Antonio Gil Martínez (CC BY 2.0)

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