Citadel of Barcelona

Last updated July 20, 2023

The Citadel of Barcelona (in Spanish, Ciudadela de Barcelona; in Catalan, Fortalesa de la Ciutadella) was a bastion fort citadel built in Barcelona. The works commenced in 1714 and, at the time of its construction, it was the largest fortress in Europe, capable of housing 8,000 troops.^[1]

Although its fortifications were dismantled in the mid-19th century, some of its original buildings still remain, including its arsenal, today the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya, the seat of the Catalan Parliament. The rest of the site was converted into the city's main central park, the Parc de la Ciutadella, by the architect Josep Fontserè in 1872.

Background

Plan of Barcelona (c. 1806) showing the city in the centre, flanked by the Citadel to the right and Montjuic Castle to the left. Published in Voyage de l'Espagne by Alexandre de Laborde. Paris, 1806-1820. BNE.Barcelona.planos.1806.jpg — Plan of Barcelona (c. 1806) showing the city in the centre, flanked by the Citadel to the right and Montjuïc Castle to the left. Published in *Voyage de l'Espagne* by Alexandre de Laborde. Paris, 1806–1820.

The city of Barcelona is flanked on its southwestern edge by the hill from which Montjuïc Castle takes its name. During the Catalan Revolt (1640), the Catalans repelled the forces sent from Madrid at the Battle of Montjuïc (1641). However, during the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1715), Barcelona was bombarded from the castle in 1705 and again in 1714, when it was besieged for 13 months by the army of the Bourbon King Philip V of Spain. The city eventually fell, and in order to maintain control over it, and to prevent the Catalans from rebelling as they had in the previous century, Philip V ordered the citadel of Barcelona be built on the other side of the city from Montjuïc Castle.

Construction

The Citadel was constructed in the district of La Ribera, half of which was knocked down to obtain the necessary space,^[3] leaving its inhabitants homeless.

In 1718, the captain general of Catalonia, Francisco Pío de Saboya y Moura, Marquis of Castel-Rodrigo, commissioned Verboom to design a new neighbourhood for the inhabitants who had lost their houses.^[4] However, Verboom's plans were never carried out.^[5]

Barceloneta

In 1749, the captain general of Catalonia, Jaime de Guzmán-Dávalos y Spínola, 2nd Marquis de la Mina, commissioned Juan Martín Cermeño to build the Barceloneta, a quarter that was rebuilt around the fortress, in the Ciutat Vella (Old City). The project aimed to solve several issues, among which that of providing a solution for the inhabitants who had lost their homes in la Ribera was only mentioned as a secondary consideration.^[4]

The works commenced in 1753 and by 1757, 244 houses had been built. Two years later, the number of houses built had reached 329, for 1,570 inhabitants. The works included the construction of the Church of Sant Miquel del Port, completed in 1755.^[6]

History

Peninsular War

On 10 February 1808, General Duhesme entered Spain at the head of 14,000 men, half French, half Italians, and marched down towards Barcelona. On 29 February, General Lecchi, the officer commanding the French troops passing through Barcelona, marched his division through the city to the gate of the citadel and suddenly entered the fortress, before the Spanish garrison understood what was happening and, without a fight, evicted the Spanish troops.^[7]

Mid-19th century

Although, by 1841, the city's authorities had already decided to destroy the fortress, which was hated by Barcelona's citizens,^[1] the citadel was restored two years later under the regime of Maria Cristina. In 1842, General Espartero ordered the Bombardment of Barcelona,^[8] which razed many of the buildings within the fortress as well as its walls. By 1869, with the political climate liberalised enough to permit it, General Prim decided to turn over what was left of the fortress to the city and some of the remaining buildings were demolished.

Related Research Articles

Montjuïc is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Ciutat Vella is a district of Barcelona, numbered District 1. The name means "old city" in Catalan and refers to the oldest neighborhoods in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Ciutat Vella is nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the neighborhood called l'Eixample.

The Parliament of Catalonia is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain. The Parliament is currently made up of 135 members, known as deputies (diputats/deputats/diputados), who are elected for four-year terms or after extraordinary dissolution, chosen by universal suffrage in lists of four constituencies, corresponding to the Catalan provinces. The Parliament building is located in Ciutadella Park, Barcelona.

The Infantry Regiment "Asturias" No. 31 is a mechanized infantry unit in the Spanish Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan de la Cruz Mourgeón</span> Spanish general and colonial administrator

Juan de la Cruz Mourgeón y Achet (1766–1822) was a Spanish military commander and colonial administrator.

La Ribera is one of the areas of the quarter of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera of Ciutat Vella of Barcelona.

Passeig de Sant Joan is a major avenue in the Eixample and Gràcia districts of Barcelona. It was named after an older street carrying this name, also known as Passeig Nou, built in 1795 around the glacis of the Ciutadella fortress.

Ciutadella | Vila Olímpica is the name of a station in the Barcelona Metro network, as well of a nearby Trambesòs station in the Sant Martí district of Barcelona. It's named after one of Barcelona's major parks, Parc de la Ciutadella, and La Vila Olímpica del Poblenou, a neighbourhood in the immediate vicinities. It's served by L4, and tram route T4, of which it is a terminus. It was built in 1977 under Parc de Carles I. It was closed between 1991 and 1992 because of infrastructure improvement with the occasion of the 1992 Olympic Games, and again as of mid-2007 due to improvement of L4.

La Barceloneta is a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The neighborhood was constructed during the 18th century for the residents of the Ribera neighborhood who had been displaced by the construction of the Ciutadella of Barcelona. The neighborhood is roughly triangular, bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, the Moll d'Espanya of Port Vell, and the El Born neighborhood. This neighborhood has its flag, and is serviced by its own stop on the Barcelona Metro line 4. The neighborhood can also be discovered by taking Las Gorondrinas, which leave from the front port of the Columbus monument. This way the marine strip can be discovered, but the real charm of this neighborhood is by getting lost in the side streets or alleyways. Torre Sant Sebastià is the terminus of the Port Vell Aerial Tramway; opened in 1931, it connects La Barceloneta with Montjuïc across Port Vell.

Jaime de Guzmán y Spinola, II Marquis of la Mina (1690–1767) was a Spanish Army commander and Captain General of Catalonia. He was also the fifth Count of Pezuela de las Torres, near Alcalá de Henares.

The Parc de la Ciutadella is a park on the northeastern edge of Ciutat Vella, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. For decades following its creation in the mid-19th century, this park was the city's only green space. The 31 hectares grounds include the city zoo, the Palau del Parlament de Catalunya, a small lake, museums, and a large fountain designed by Josep Fontserè.

Juan Miguel de Vives y Feliu, in Catalan: Joan Miquel Vives i Feliu, was a Spanish general.

Mercat del Born is a former public market and one of the most important buildings in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain constructed with iron. Located in the lower and eastern side of the la Ribera neighborhood, it is the largest covered square in all of Europe and marked the start of Modernisme in Catalan architecture.

Montjuïc Castle is an old military fortress, with roots dating back from 1640, built on top of Montjuïc hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It currently serves as a Barcelona municipal facility.

The Palau del Parlament de Catalunya is the assembly hall of the Parliament of Catalonia, located in Barcelona. It was built between 1717 and 1727 as the arsenal of the Ciutadella, to designs of Jorge Próspero de Verboom.

Juan Martín Cermeño, or Zermeño was a Spanish architect, military engineer and lieutenant general.

The urban planning of Barcelona developed in accordance with the historical and territorial changes of the city, and in line with other defining factors of public space, such as architecture, urban infrastructure and the adaptation and maintenance of natural spaces, parks and gardens.

Domingo Mariano Traggia Uribarri, Marquis del Palacio (1744–1816) was a Spanish military commander.

Sanabria Castle is a 15th-century castle overlooking the town of Puebla de Sanabria, Zamora, Spain.

The Font del Gat or Font de Sant Agustí Vell is a Gothic fountain (reconstructed) located in the Barri de Ribera of Barcelona. It is on the ground floor of the house with its main facade towards the Plaça de Sant Agustí Vell and placed on the corner of Carders and Tantarantana streets.

References

1 2 Vargas, Michael (2018). Constructing Catalan Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 88–90. ISBN 978-3-319-76744-4.
↑ (in Spanish). Cantera Montenegro, Jesús. "Jorge Próspero Verboom". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
↑ (in Spanish) "Historia de Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera". Ajuntament de Barcelona . Retrieved 12 February 2023.
1 2 (in Spanish) "Historia de la Barceloneta". Ajuntament de Barcelona . Retrieved 12 February 2023.
↑ (in Spanish) Carrillo de Albornoz Galbeño, Juan "Juan Martín Cermeño". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
↑ (in Spanish) Vicente Algueró, Felipe José de. "Jaime Miguel de Guzmán Dávalos y Spínola". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
↑ Oman, Charles (1902). A History of the Peninsula War, Vol. I, pp. 36-37. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
↑ (in Spanish) Romea Castro, Celia (1994). Barcelona romántica y revolucionaria: una imagen literaria de la ciudad, década de 1833 a 1843. Edicions Universitat Barcelona, pp. 113-116. Google Books. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

41°23′17″N2°11′15″E / 41.38806°N 2.18750°E / 41.38806; 2.18750

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[vargas-1] 1 2 Vargas, Michael (2018). Constructing Catalan Identity. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 88–90. ISBN 978-3-319-76744-4.

[2] (in Spanish). Cantera Montenegro, Jesús. "Jorge Próspero Verboom". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 24 May 2023.

[3] (in Spanish) "Historia de Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera". Ajuntament de Barcelona . Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[adb-4] 1 2 (in Spanish) "Historia de la Barceloneta". Ajuntament de Barcelona . Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[carrillo-5] (in Spanish) Carrillo de Albornoz Galbeño, Juan "Juan Martín Cermeño". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 24 May 2023.

[vicente-6] (in Spanish) Vicente Algueró, Felipe José de. "Jaime Miguel de Guzmán Dávalos y Spínola". Diccionario Biográfico electrónico. Real Academia de la Historia. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[oman1-7] Oman, Charles (1902). A History of the Peninsula War, Vol. I, pp. 36-37. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[8] (in Spanish) Romea Castro, Celia (1994). Barcelona romántica y revolucionaria: una imagen literaria de la ciudad, década de 1833 a 1843. Edicions Universitat Barcelona, pp. 113-116. Google Books. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]