Montjuïc Castle facts for kids

Entrance to Montjuïc Castle across its old moat, which is now a garden.

Montjuïc Castle (Catalan: Castell de Montjuïc, Spanish: Castillo de Montjuich) is an old military fort. It stands on top of Montjuïc hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The first parts of the fort were built in 1640. Today, it is a building used by the city of Barcelona.

History of the Castle

The very first stone for the fort was placed in 1640. Just one year later, in January 1641, the fort saw its first battle. This happened during the Catalan Revolt. In this war, the region of Catalonia fought against the rule of Spain.

The King of Spain sent an army of 26,000 soldiers. Their leader was Pedro Fajardo. The Spanish army wanted to stop the revolt. They took back some cities. But they lost at the Battle of Montjuïc. The Catalan forces, led by Francesc de Tamarit, won this battle. During this fight, Colonel Shane O'Neill (also known as Prince Juan O'Neill in Spain) died. He was leading his soldiers near Barcelona. The King of Spain later gave him the special title of Viscount Montjuïc.

About 50 years later, in 1694, new walls and defenses were added. The fort then became a true castle. In 1705, during the Siege of Barcelona (1705), British soldiers captured the castle. They were led by Lt.-Col William Southwell. This helped them to later take over Barcelona itself. Southwell then became the castle's governor.

The castle grounds now have many beautiful gardens.

The old fort was torn down in 1751. A Spanish engineer named Juan Martin Cermeño built the castle we see today. The castle got its final shape between 1779 and 1799. During this time, big building projects made the castle much better. It was also given 120 cannons to protect it.

During the Napoleonic Wars, the French army came into Barcelona. On orders from Napoleon, they took the castle without a fight. The soldiers guarding the castle were told not to fight the French.

An old display from the castle's museum.

For over 350 years, Montjuïc Castle has been very important in Barcelona's history. It became a symbol after Catalonia lost to Spain in 1714. After that, the castle's cannons sometimes fired on the city and its people. Montjuïc was also used as a prison many times for three centuries. In the late 1800s, the castle was known for holding political prisoners.

The castle is famous in Catalan history books because of its role in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). During this war, both sides held and shot political prisoners at Montjuïc. One of them was Lluís Companys. He was the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia during the war. Companys was executed at Montjuïc Castle in 1940.

Later in the 20th century, the castle became a military museum. In June 1963, Francisco Franco opened the Military Armor Museum there.

Current Use of the Castle

A view of Montjuïc Castle.

In April 2007, the Spanish government gave the castle to the Barcelona City Council. After some talks, the castle became a building for the city. In 2010, the museum closed. The City Council started to fix up the castle's roof and a watchtower.

Today, the castle has plans for new projects. These include L’Espai de la Memòria (a memory space) and El Centre d’Interpretació de la Muntanya de Montjuïc (a center about Montjuïc mountain). It also hosts many cultural activities.

You can get to the castle by the Montjuïc cable car. This is a gondola lift that stops near the castle entrance. The Montjuïc funicular takes you up Montjuïc hill from the Paral·lel station of the Barcelona Metro. It connects to the cable car's lower station. You can also reach the castle by the Port Vell Aerial Tramway from Port Vell, which is Barcelona's old harbor.

See also

In Spanish: Castillo de Montjuic para niños

• Prototype metre
• Meridional definition