The Castle of San Sebastián is an amazing combination of blue, white and blazing sun.
Do you like castles? I have another one for you: Almourol Castle: Totally Dragonless… Or Is It? Read more about our travels around the world too.
Meet the Castle of San Sebastian
The Castle of San Sebastian is one of these places where your imagination goes overdrive. Even better, if you are an aspiring photographer, it is an excellent staging place for a fairytale photoshoot. Thick stone walls, imposing fortifications and perfectly rounded watch towers bring you back to a different world full of adventures.
Are you a fan of Pierce Brosnan? Or maybe you prefer James Bond? If you watched the Hollywood movie Die Another Day the Castle of San Sebastian might look a bit familiar. Some action scenes were shot there. I can understand why: the castle’s silhouette looks impossibly handsome in a classic medieval way.
Where to find the Castle of San Sebastian
The Castle of San Sebastian is located on a tiny islet at the end of La Caleta beach in Cádiz. It was a part of fortifications and defense systems of the Bay of Cádiz. Way before that, more than two thousand years ago the Temple of Kronos was standing on this sandy piece of land. Then, in the mid-15th century, Venetian sailors found refuge and built a shelter there while recovering from the plague. Construction of the fortress began in 1706. The purpose of the Castle of San Sebastián was to protect the northern side of the city.
The lifetime full of events
The castle went through a number of transformations. From an ancient temple to a refuge for an unfortunate Venetian ship to a fortress protecting the city.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the old Moorish watchtower was rebuilt to become what was known as the old castle. In 1706, the fort that we see today was constructed.
Castle’s walls formed a polygon with nine sides. The entire perimeter was protected with a parapet with cannons and a water pit with two drawbridges. In front of the pit, there was a parade ground. In 1739 the castle had 17 cannons. Eventually, their number increased to 25. Their mission was to prevent any kind of vessels from approaching through the entrance channel that was in front of the south coast.
In 1860, a pier was built to connect the island where the castle sits and the city.
The castle was declared Bien de Interés Cultural (the cultural treasure) in 1985.
The lighthouse designed by Rafael de la Cerda was built in 1908. Its unique iron tower rises 41 meters above sea level. It was restored in 2017.
Check more photos of The Castle of San Sebastián (Castillo de San Sebastián) on Traveling Bytes Flickr.
Some historical info about the Castle of San Sebastian
- Castillo de San Sebastián (Cádiz) (in Spanish)
- Castle of San Sebastián
The Castle of San Sebastián (Castillo de San Sebastián) on Google Maps:
You might also like our other articles about Spain:
- Summer Afternoon in Rural Andalucia
- El Escorial Photo Essay
- Our First Meal in Jerez
- Southern Spain: No Bank Account = No Coin Exchange
- Tarifa Walkabout
- First time in Cadiz
- 5 Reasons for Crossing Spain from Jerez to Barcelona in a car
- Baelo Claudia Ruins
Published: May 2014. Last update: January 2019
Share this article on Pinterest by clicking Save button
Such a nice post! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Glad you liked it 😀