Few places in Barcelona carry as much history — and as much darkness — as the Castell de Montjuïc. Perched 173 metres above the city on the hill that gives it its name, this star-shaped fortress has watched over the port for more than three centuries, serving in turn as a military stronghold, a political prison, and finally a public park.
The first permanent fortification on Montjuïc was built in 1640 during the Catalan Revolt, but the castle as it stands today is largely the work of military engineers in the late 17th and 18th centuries, who replaced earlier structures with the current polygonal bastioned layout — a classic example of Vauban-influenced military architecture. Four pointed bastions project from the central body, designed to deflect and absorb artillery fire.
Montjuïc’s history is inseparable from Catalan suffering. After the fall of Barcelona to Bourbon forces in September 1714, the castle became an instrument of political repression. It held thousands of political prisoners over the following centuries, including — most notoriously — Lluís Companys, President of the Generalitat de Catalunya, who was executed here in October 1940 by Franco’s regime after being handed over by the Gestapo in France. The castle remained under military control until 2007, when it was transferred to the city of Barcelona.
Today Montjuïc is one of the most visited attractions in Barcelona. The Museum of Military History inside documents the castle’s complex past, while the wide terraces and moat offer some of the finest panoramic views in the city — from the Pyrenees to the horizon of the Mediterranean.