History

The fortress of the Castro was built in 1665 during a war in front of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

 (1640-1668) trying to protect the city from the continuous attacks coming from the British navy allies of Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

.

The defensive system of the city consisted in Castro and San Sebastián fortress and the city wall (now disappear). The city wall had an irregular structure because of the orography, it was constructed by the Engineer Colonel Fernando de Gourannanbergue and the Field Master Diego Arias Taboada to unify the two fortresses. Despite of this effort to provide security to the city, Documents from that time say that this defensive system was not so effective because it can not stop landings.

After several attempts to improve the defenses of the city, Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

 was looted again by British navy during Battle of Vigo Bay

Battle of Vigo Bay

The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande , was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish port of Cádiz in September in an effort to secure a naval...

 (October 23-24 of 1702) at the War of the Spanish Succession

War of the Spanish Succession

The War of the Spanish Succession was fought among several European powers, including a divided Spain, over the possible unification of the Kingdoms of Spain and France under one Bourbon monarch. As France and Spain were among the most powerful states of Europe, such a unification would have...

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In 1809 the fortress was occupied by the French army during Peninsular War

Peninsular War

The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...

, on March 28 of this year, the fortress was reconquered after a heroic battle by people of Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

 themselves, because of this battle the city won the title of "Faithful, Loyal and Courageous".

Nowadays this fortress is one of the preferred sites for people to take a walk in Vigo

Vigo

Vigo is a city and municipality in north-west Spain, in Galicia, situated on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.-Population:...

, because his beautiful gardens, open spaces, fonts and also the privileged views.

External links

• Map and Description
• Information Spanish
• More Photos Spanish
• Castro Fortress at Google Maps