FORTALEZA SAN FELIPE

A square, imposing building, consisting of a wall framing a round, crenellated central tower. Its strategic position enabled it to effectively defend the port entrance against pirate attacks. It is the only building in Puerto Plata to date from the ^16th century. The fortress was used as a court of justice and then as a military prison on several occasions, notably from 1930 to 1961, during the Trujillo dictatorship. Inside, a small military museum displays the cell of Juan Pablo Duarte, Father of the Fatherland, who was detained here in August 1844.