Castle of San Luis de Bocachica facts for kids
The Castle of San Luis de Bocachica, also known as Fort St. Louis, was a strong military fort. It helped protect the city of Cartagena, Colombia. The Spanish built this fort in the 1600s. Later, after it was damaged in wars, a new fort called the Castle of San Fernando was built in the same spot.
This important fort was located on Tierra Bomba Island. It guarded the main entrance to Cartagena's harbor. This entrance was a narrow channel called Bocachica, which means "small entrance." It was different from Bocagrande, the "big entrance."
History of the Castle
Work on the first fort, the Castle of San Luis, began in 1646. An engineer named Juan de Somovilla started the project. The fort was named after the governor at the time, Luis Fernandez de Cordoba.
The castle faced many attacks over the years. Two of the most famous attacks were by the French in 1697 and by the British in 1741.
French Attack in 1697
During a big war called the War of the League of Augsburg, French soldiers and pirates attacked the castle. This happened on April 13, 1697. They managed to capture the castle by April 15. However, the castle was not completely destroyed. This was thanks to the brave defense led by Don Sancho Jimeno. Also, the castle's location was very important, so they kept it.
British Attack in 1741
Later, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, British troops surrounded Cartagena. On March 13, 1741, the British navy took over the castle. They caused a lot of damage to it. As they retreated, they set the castle on fire. This completely destroyed the old Castle of San Luis.
In 1753, people started building a brand new fort. This was the Castle of San Fernando de Bocachica. It was built by an engineer named Antonio de Arévalo. The new fort was constructed right on top of the old castle's ruins. It was finished in 1759. Today, this castle is still a very popular place for tourists to visit.
See also
In Spanish: Castillo de San Luis de Bocachica para niños
