CASTILLO SAN FELIPE DE BARAJAS
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Castillo San Felipe de Barajas is the largest Spanish fortress in the New World. It was built between 1536 and 1657.
Welcome to the largest Spanish fortress in the New World! Built as early as 1536, this fortification is a veritable period bunker designed to defend the coveted Cartagena. As a meeting place for pirates and enemies of the Spanish Crown, the colonial city decided to set up a defense system against these threats in the very first decades of its existence. After fortifying Cartagena's primitive core, it was deemed necessary to place a structure on the hill of San Lázaro that would prevent an enemy attack. After the Battle of Vernon in 1741, the fortress was perfected: seven batteries were installed, linked together by a labyrinth of ramps, drawbridges, turrets, sentry boxes, cul-de-sacs and underground galleries. The story goes that the huge blocks of stone were quarried from the surrounding coral reefs and transported up the hill by slaves: a reminder of the incessant business surrounding the slave trade. The builders also devised various defensive systems to ensure its impenetrability. For example, the castle walls were not built perpendicular to the ground, but inclined inwards, so that enemy cannonballs could ricochet off the castle. What's more, the castle's cannons had the entire bay in their sights, so any suspicious vessel could be shot down. An interesting walk, especially with a guide.
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attention la visite gratuite du 3ème dimanche du mois ne concerne que les colombiens et non les etrangers
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Audioguide à disposition.