Alicante fortress santa barbara. Spain, Alicante - "Alicante - Spanish flavor, clear sea, Santa Barbara Castle." Santa Barbara Castle in Alicante on video

Fortress Santa Barbara is called the hallmark of Alicante. It has observation platforms from where tourists admire magnificent views of the city, the port and the sea. You can visit the castle for free. Entrance tickets are only sold here for special exhibitions.

The local mountain Benacantil, which rises above the city, is also called the “face of the Moor”. Its slopes have bizarre shapes. The fortress, which seems to come out of the rocks, is one of the largest Spanish structures of this kind.

Description of the fortress

Santa Barbara has three levels that occupy different locations on the slopes. Their construction was carried out in several stages. The oldest part was built on a hill 166 meters above sea level. Only the foundations of the Hall of Fame, the English Bastion and the Engineering Park, which were built in the Middle Ages, managed to survive here. The upper esplanade is the location of fragments of the ancient fortress and the main watchtower of the Moorish period, La Torreta.

The middle level contained on its territory structures that were built from 1562 to 1580. We are talking about the chapel of Barbara, preserved only in fragments, the Hall of Philip II, the Bastion of the Queen and the Military Corps.

The lower level is equipped with parking and approaches to this historical site. Near Santa Barbara, on the territory of the Old Town, you can visit Erete Park. This is a traditional venue for mass events.

The current state of the fortress

Santa Barbara receives visitors all year round. Here is a wonderful observation deck Esplanade Macho del Castillo. Guests of Alicante walk through the halls of the historical museum, under which restored outbuildings are reserved. Here you can see the heraldry belonging to the ancient families of the city, and antique ceramics, as well as visit the photo gallery. An exhibition of siege and wall guns is equipped on a special platform.

In summer, the fortress is the venue for "full moon nights", theatrical performances and other events. The Square of Arms serves to show children's performances and concert programs. On the territory of the Engineering Park, you can visit a craft fair. The 5 halls of Santa Barbara were perfect for the large exhibition "Fortress of the Ring" organized by the Tolkien Society of Spain.

Historical reference

Benacantil has been inhabited since antiquity by people, as evidenced by archaeological finds. The fortress was founded by the Moors in the 11th century. It was of strategic importance to the city. From Benacantil one could see everything that happened in the area, on the roads and in the bay. The fortress was conquered by Christians in the 13th century. In the next century, it was significantly expanded. Carlos I was the initiator of the construction of fortifications, and Philip II - outbuildings and main halls.

Repeatedly, Santa Barbara was fired upon from artillery pieces and destroyed. By the 18th century, it had ceased to fulfill its main function - defense against enemies. A prison was created here, after which the fortress was in an abandoned state. In 1963, it was reconstructed and turned into a tourist site.

legends

About Santa Barbara, as well as about other Spanish monuments of the Middle Ages, the people created more than one legend. It is necessary to mention the romantic history associated with the era when the Moors ruled in these places.

The Spanish nobleman Riccardo fell in love with Princess Zahara, whose father was a Muslim ruler. The girl answered him in kind. Meetings of lovers took place outside the walls of the fortress. Young people dreamed of starting a family, but Zahara's parent had already decided on a future husband for his daughter. They were supposed to be the Sultan of Damascus. After the princess learned this news, she was overcome by a serious illness. The old Moor wanted, by all means, to save his daughter from death, but he could not give permission for her marriage to a Christian. Then the ruler decided to cheat. He gave the go-ahead for his daughter's marriage to a Spanish nobleman, but on the condition that the color of the earth turn white in the morning. Otherwise, Zahara's beloved will be hanged from the tower. The princess spent the whole night in prayer. At the same time, the orange trees began to shed their petals. In the morning, local residents thought that the territory of the fortress was covered with snow. She turned completely white. But the ruler did not keep his word and hung Riccardo before sunrise. Upon learning of this, the girl threw herself off the tower and crashed against the stones. The governor followed her in grief. Since that time, the deep stone folds of Benacantil have captured the face of the princess's father.

The hero of the second legend is the commandant of Alicante Nicholas Paris. In 1248, the Arabs left these places and Alfonso of Castile began to rule the city. In 1296 Jaime II of Aragon attacked the fortress with his army. Local warriors held out to the last. When the Moors killed Paris, they saw in his hand the keys that opened the main gate. They could not take them even from the dead commandant, he squeezed them so tightly. They had to cut off the hero's hand to open the gate. Later, a monument to the commandant appeared in Alicante, and the coat of arms of the castle contains an image of a hand with a bunch of keys. Since then, no one else has captured Santa Barbara.

Information for tourists

The castle is open to visitors daily. From 1.04. to 30.09. it is open from ten in the morning to ten in the evening, and from 1.10. to 31.03. - until eight in the evening.

Let me tell you about our holiday in Alicante. Somehow we planned a wonderful trip. From Kaliningrad by car we went to Zakopane, after living there for a week, we went to Krakow, having rested in Krakow for three days, we flew to Spain. And in Spain, we divided the rest like this: a week in Alicante (with a trip to Elche), a week in Benidorm (with a trip to Valencia).

Alicante is a port city located on the Costa Blanca. It's not far from the airport, about 20 minutes. The city is in many ways typical Spanish))) Clean and well-groomed.
We lived in an apart-hotel, we had a room with a kitchen, so we often cooked ourselves. Products, as usual in Spain, we bought the Mercadona supermarket, it was located in the city center not far from the coast and our hotel. When using a plastic card, we were almost always asked for an identity document (we showed a driver's license), and once, without malicious intent, we caused a collapse in the store))) Having collected products for 35 euros, we provided a banknote of 500 euros for payment, we just didn't have any other money with us. We collected change at all the cash desks, and we must pay tribute to the employees: they did not lose their temper and did not send us to hell))) We really like Mercadona with its choice of products, especially seafood and fruits, and there is just a lot of new ... that which is not available in our stores. Pay attention to what the locals take, they know better what products are worthy of their meals))) Separately, I will say about wine. As we were once told on an excursion during our first visit to Spain: do not be afraid to buy inexpensive Spanish wine in stores - it is young and it flows like water here, therefore it does not cost a lot of money.

Pay attention to the pineapple I posted. We bought it in such a convenient form in Mercadona (well, probably, these are sold not only in this store). It is cleaned, it was given a cylindrical shape with a hole, packed in dense polyethylene (not photographed), the expiration date is a day. Wonderful - I bought it, quickly cut it, ate it.)))

Do you know that it is not customary for Spaniards to say "bon appetit", because they always have a good appetite anyway?))) In Spain they say "buen provecho" - good assimilation))))

Buildings in Alicante are dense, not all hotels have their own parking, or there is parking, but it is very small and insufficient for all guests. In the city center there is a multi-storey paid large parking lot, with which some hotels enter into an agreement, giving you the opportunity to leave your car there (we rented it at the airport). From this parking lot, of course, you will need to walk to the hotel, but for us this path took 5-7 minutes.

The city's beaches are wide and clean. We went mainly to the main city beach of Postiguet, I’ll tell you more about it. A flag of the corresponding color is always placed on the beach: green - you can swim; yellow - in general, you can swim, but do not forget that the sea is worried; red - swimming is prohibited. There are lifeguards on the tower, and if you decide to swim with a forbidding signal, they will come for you.))) Maybe they will even come, but this is not certain)))). The beach has a small playground and lonely, rare palm trees. You can hide from the heat under a palm tree, but most often you have already been overtaken and there is someone under it.))) Periodically, an uncle from a beach cafe will pass you along the beach with a tray and an offer to buy cool sangria in a plastic glass or chopped fruit. Walking dogs on the beach is prohibited. The sea is pleasant, clean, beautiful with a soft entry into the water, we liked everything very much.

And this device is like an underpass, but only above the ground. Elevated crossing.))) You can get to the beach anyway. Well, or just from the city on pedestrian crossings))). What's more, note that there is an elevator near this overpass, well thought out if you don't want to or can't take the stairs.

Alicante has a good wide promenade, walks along which give visual pleasure and saturation with sea air. Along the embankment there are shopping malls with souvenirs, local sweets, beach towels, benches, and exercise equipment. Sometimes a stage is opened here and chairs are set up, arranging small concerts.

The castle-fortress of Santa Barbara on Mount Benacantil deserves special attention in Alicante. This is one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain. The entrance to the fortress itself is free, but you need to walk to it, if you wish, you can use the elevator. We took advantage.

The fortress offers a wonderful, magnificent, bewitching view of the sea, Alicante and its surroundings.

The fortress of Santa Barbara was completed, destroyed in places during the wars, completed again ... It's interesting there, you go to different levels ... and you want higher, higher) Everywhere there are arches, paths, steps, rooms ... There are many trees, shrubs, you can meet pigeons, among which there are many white ones. There is a cafe, a souvenir shop and a toilet.

In Alicante, like many places in Europe, you can walk through the narrow streets, admire the historic center, ancient basilicas, refresh yourself by sitting on a bench near the fountain. For me personally, it is very important that the rest is not limited to the beach.

August 28th, 2015 04:25 am

Today I’ll tell you about the most, probably, the most memorable place in all of Alicante. This place is well-worn and crossed by tourists and travelers from all over the world, and a lot has been written about it, but this does not dampen interest in it at all. I'm talking about the Arab fortress of Santa Barbara, located on Mount Benacantil in the heart of the city:

The mountain itself is not too high, only 166 meters above sea level, however, due to the low residential development of Alicante, the fortress on its top is visible from almost anywhere in the city. This is a certain absolute dominant of these places, thanks to which it is extremely difficult to get lost here:
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There are three ways to enter the fortress. The first, and the easiest, is in your own car. At the entrance to the fortress, on the slope of the mountain, there is a small parking lot, there are few cars, no fee is charged. The second - on foot (interesting, but requires some physical effort). And the third, the most comfortable (but at the same time paid - €2.40) is to take the elevator:
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Once on the territory of the fortress, you find yourself in the atmosphere of a typical medieval citadel of the XIII - XV centuries. The safety of objects and defensive structures is quite high, but all this is the merit of modern restorers. Until 1963, the fortress was in disrepair:
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There is an opinion that the first fortifications were laid by the Moorish conquerors at the end of the 9th century AD, and even then the fortress was an important strategic object, since the sea approach to the city was perfectly visible from it. However, most modern historians agree that Santa Barbara did not acquire its present appearance until the middle of the 13th century:
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It was then, on December 4, 1248, that the history of the citadel began its new round. On this day, Prince Alfonso of Castile, the future King Alfonso X the Wise, recaptured the fortress from the Arabs. The fortress itself was named Santa Barbara in honor of the day of St. Barbara, which fell on the capture of the citadel:
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In 1296 the fortress was again stormed. This time, King Jaime II made an attempt to seize it. The attempt was successful. Having met fierce resistance from a detachment of defenders led by the commandant of the fortress Nicholas Paris, the Aragonese troops nevertheless achieved what they wanted, the citadel was taken:
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There is a legend that says that the last defenders of the fortress died defending every stone of the citadel, and Nicholas Paris himself fell, clutching his sword in one hand and the keys to the fortress in the other, which the invaders could only get by cutting off his hand. Since then, on the coat of arms of the fortress there is a symbol of a hand clutching the keys to the gate in its hand, as a sign of the stamina of its defenders:
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The locals believe in a legend that says that when the hand of Nicholas Paris opens and throws the keys, the city of Alicante will be conquered by the enemy. Fortunately for them, this legend has already proved that it has the right to exist - since then, Alicante has indeed never been taken again: neither by the British in the War of the Spanish Succession, nor by the French troops of Napoleon when he invaded the Iberian Peninsula (by the way, then only three cities were not captured by him: Lisbon, Cadiz and, in fact, Alicante). To this day, the fortress remains impregnable:
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After the return of the fortress under the crown of the kingdom of Aragon, Jaime II orders it to be reconstructed. Almost a century later, King Pedro IV Solemn completed the reconstruction of the fortress, and King Charles I at the beginning of the 16th century again took up its strengthening:
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Since then, without further significant reforms and changes, the fortress existed until the reign of Philip II (1556-1598). And only with the appointment of a new commandant of the fortress, Juan Colom, the construction of new buildings began, which we can see today:
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In 1691, Santa Barbara was bombarded by a French squadron. A little later, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714), it was held by the British for three years. And in 1873, along with the city, the citadel was fired upon by Spanish rebels from the Numancia frigate:
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Naturally, all this could not but affect the defensive structures of Santa Barbara. The fortress was seriously damaged. However, at present, the results of these clashes of the past are almost invisible. The walls and towers of the citadel are in good condition, artillery pieces are installed in the loopholes, the fortress looks like new:
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During the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, Santa Barbara served as a prison for captured Republicans and people associated with the Second Spanish Republic. They write on the Internet that you can still see traces of their stay here and engravings left by imprisoned republicans on the walls of the castle. But I found only the coat of arms of the city itself:
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From the observation deck of the fortress, you can see the whole of Alicante and neighboring cities:
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Panoramas from the walls of Santa Barbara are really impressive:
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There are a lot of seagulls around. They are literally everywhere. The noise of birds around is such that you need to raise your voice so that the interlocutor hears you:
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Here, on the rocks, they nest:
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Since 1963, after restoration, the fortress has been open to the public. Walking is allowed from 10 am to 10 pm in the summer. And from 10 am to 8 pm in the autumn-winter period. Then the guards of all latecomers politely escort:
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By the way, in addition to hiking with a camera, today you can also visit the Museum of History, but, unfortunately, I didn’t get into it. I simply didn't make it. We arrived here 2 hours before closing, and the territory is rather big. I wanted to make the most of:
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And yet, no matter how good it is here, it's time to go down, walk a little through the evening Alicante:
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Alicante is the second largest and most important city of Valencia, the largest tourist center of the resort coast of the Costa Blanca. The city is rather big, about 335,000 people live here, among them there are many emigrants from Argentina and Colombia:
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In Alicante, you can most often hear Spanish speech and the Valencian dialect of the Catalan language. Most of the city's population is employed in trade and the tourism industry:
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The architecture of the city is very diverse, here you can see examples of all styles of architecture: Greek and Romanesque, Moorish, Gothic, Baroque, Modernism. This diversity reflects the history of Alicante: its favorable geographical position attracted conquerors from different times and peoples:
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The Basilica of Saint Mary of Alicante is the oldest and one of the most beautiful churches in the city. Interestingly, it was founded in the 14th century on the ruins of an Islamic mosque. Inside the church, Gothic sculptures of Saints John and Mary, a gilded altar of the 18th century in the Rococo style have been preserved. But I can’t show all this, because. the reason is the same - a catastrophic lack of time ...
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Most of the facades of buildings in the city center are decorated with stunning beauty and filigree bas-reliefs:
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And of course, the city's promenade Esplanade de España is a favorite place for walking for the inhabitants of Alicante. The picturesque Primorsky Boulevard with a beautiful palm alley and a marble pavement made of 6 million mosaic elements stretches for half a kilometer along the Postiguet beach and the seaport. The Esplanade has numerous restaurants and bars; ice cream and handmade souvenirs are sold here, concerts and various shows are held in the evenings:
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It was the "equator" of our expedition. The next stop was Valencia, the fourth city on our itinerary. See you there next time.

Arriving in the Spanish Mediterranean resort city of Alicante, it is impossible not to visit the most famous historical landmark and cultural heritage of the country - Santa Barbara Fortress (Spanish name Castillo de Santa Barbara). Castle Santa Barbara is located in the center of Alicante, on top of Mount Benacantil or Benacantil (Mount Benacantil) at an altitude of 166 meters above sea level, within walking distance from the beach and other central attractions of the city. Tourists from all over the country and the world come to visit this fortress.

Santa Barbara Castle can rightly be called the hallmark of Alicante, it can be seen from all corners of the city.

View of Mount Benacantil and Santa Barbara Castle

It is said that the Benacantil rock is shaped like a face. That is why the mountain is also called "the face of the Moor" (la cara del moro). True, we did not notice this similarity, no matter how hard we tried. However, it is precisely for this reason that the outline of the face is clearly visible on the coat of arms of the city. The Spaniards themselves attach such serious importance to the mountain and the castle on its top, they even reflected this fact on the coat of arms.

How to get to Santa Barbara Castle

Although the mountain seems tall, and the castle at its very top looks tiny and so far away, you can climb Mount Benacantil and walk to Santa Barbara Castle in just 10-15 minutes from the center of Alicante. There are lifts, both free and paid - on a high-speed elevator.

Paid high-speed elevator to Santa Barbara Fortress

The entrance to the high-speed elevator, where you can climb to the very top of the mountain in just one minute and get straight into the heart of Snata Barbara Castle, is located on Jovellanos Boulevard, opposite carrer de Jovellanos 1.

The elevator ride is paid, the cost is 2.70 Euro per person. Payment through the terminal. Children under 4 years old and people over 65 years old enter for free.

The paid elevator operates daily: from 10:00 to 19:45. From 19:45 to 23:10, you can go up and down the elevator for free. From 11:10 pm to 11:30 pm, the elevator operates only for descent, also free of charge.

This is the only thing you have to pay for, apart from souvenirs and cafes, if you want to buy something or eat. Everything else in the castle: inspection, exhibitions, museums - are free.

Free climb to Santa Barbara Fortress

You can climb Mount Benacantil and go to the fortress of Santa Barbara for free. The rise takes only 10-20 minutes, after. Santa Cruz is the oldest district of the city, which has preserved the way of life of medieval Spain, a very picturesque place, we advise you to take a walk.

In the evening, when it gets dark, from the observation decks of the fortress there is an equally impressive panorama of the city and the coast, if not more beautiful than the daytime…

Why is the fortress called Santa Barbara! Interesting?

Based on history, on December 4, 1248, on the day of Saint Barbara (Barbara), Prince Alfonso of Castile, the future King Alfonso X the Wise, with pressure and heroic courage won the bastions from the Arabs. It was in honor of the day of St. Barbara, on which the capture of the citadel fell, that the Fortress was named Santa Barbara.

The name of the fortress also corresponds to the Santa Barbara TV series of the same name. Remember this one? The longest series in the world, the development of which was closely followed by our grandmothers and mothers.

History of Fortress Santa Barbara

After the conquest of the castle by King Alfonso, in 1296 King James II of Aragon again captured the fortress, while meeting and subduing fierce resistance. A detachment of defenders, led by the brave commandant of the fortress Nicholas Paris, defended every inch of the castle as best they could, but it still did not help them. According to legend, Nicholas Paris died clutching his sword in one hand and the keys to the fortress in the other. The enemies only got the keys when they cut off his hand. The commandant, by his heroic deed and courage, earned the recognition not only of his compatriots, but also of his enemies. At the highest point of the fortress, a monument of honor and glory will be erected to him. Also on the coat of arms of the fortress there is a symbol corresponding to that historical event - a hand squeezing the keys to the gate, as a sign of the stamina of its defenders.

In 1691, the fortress of Santa Barbara was bombarded by the French squadron. And during the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701-1714, it was held by the British for three years.

In 1873, the castle of Santa Barbara, along with the city, was shelled by Spanish rebels from the frigate Numancia.

From the beginning of the eighteenth century, the fortress gradually lost its military significance and its buildings began to be used as a prison. So she remained in a semi-abandoned state until 1963, until, after restoration, she was open to public visits. We can see the walls and the territory of the fortress, restored and close to the age-old history, at the present time. To this day, the castle is regularly restored and maintained in good condition.