CENTRE OF VISITORS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER'S FORT Saint Christopher's Fort was the first building constructed in the modern fortifications of Badajoz. Its works began in 1641 on Saint Christopher's hill, as main outpost of the city's defences on the right border of the Guadiana. The Portuguese (1658) and French (1811) armies tried to attack it, but they never got to conquer it. After hundreds of years of military use, the fort is nowadays already militarily unnecessary, this is why it has been restored to hold the Centre of Visitors, the main museum core dedicated to Badajoz’s bastioned fortifications. In addition, with its restoration other new social and cultural uses are made possible in its facilities. The building of the old Headquarters holds a museum equipment used to show the function of Saint Christopher's Fort within Badajoz’s bastioned fortifications. The roles of Badajoz and Elvas are also explained, these were capitals of the borders of Spain and Portugal, in the complex system of bastioned fortifications whereupon these two countries were defended during almost 400 years.
HOW TO VISIT BADAJOZ’S FORTIFICATIONS You can visit the wall of Badajoz in a free tour, following the itinerary recommended by the streets and gardens of the city. Throughout the route you will find the main elements of the fortifications explained through informative boards, from which further information can be downloaded to your telephone by means of QR codes. Before starting the route by the fortifications, we recommend you to visit the Tourist Office of the Mudejar Houses. There you will be able to see an audio-visual video about the history of the building of the bastioned fortifications. You will also be able to get informed about the visiting hours of other museum settings like: • The Centre of Visitors of Saint Christopher's Fort. • The ‘Palmas’ Door. • Saint Peter's gallery of fusiliers.
TOURIST OFFICE OF THE MUDEJAR HOUSES Plaza de San José, 18 Telf: (+34) 924 201 369 e-mail: casasmudejares@aytobadajoz.es
MUNICIPAL TOURIST OFFICE Telf: (+34) 924 224 981 e-mail: turismo@aytobadajoz.es WWW.TURISMOBADAJOZ.ES
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BASTIONED FORTIFICATIONS OF BADAJOZ
THE BUILDING OF THE WALL
BADAJOZ’S FORTIFICATIONS
Buildings carried out in each phase
Outline of the medieval wall
Badajoz, the great fortress square of ‘la Raya’ (the line) with Portugal, was the key of all the Spanish defensive system, due to its strategic location on the way between Madrid and Lisbon, this is why it became the border's authentic capital. Its importance was emphasised because of being the headquarters of Extremadura’s Captaincy General, which, together with its many quartering and peripheral facilities, contributed to give it a noticeable military character. Successive extensions and refurbishing created in the city’s modern bastioned fortifications that remained intact until beginning of the 20th century. Currently, the wall is mostly preserved built in a large urban park that occupies its moats whereas the bastions hold different social and cultural equipment.
Pier Maria Baldi drew in 1669 the old medieval wall.
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The medieval wall (9th and 15th centuries).
The first reinforcements (1641-1668).
Until the middle of the 17th century, Badajoz was encircled by a medieval brick wall, probably of Muslim origin, nowadays almost totally missing, and the exact layout of which has still not been firmly established. Since 1580, when Spain and Portugal were united under the same crown for 60 years, a prolonged period of peace was opened, fo this reason the maintenance of the old wall was almost non-existent. On the other hand, the progressive advance of the artillery during those centuries turned the old brick walls, in which height was prioritized as opposed to thickness, into completely ineffective walls against new warfares.
In 1640, Portugal proclaimed its independence from the Spanish crown, starting a war that would last 28 years. The defence of ‘plaza de Badajoz’ (Badajoz square), located again first in line, was very much damaged. A process of renovation of the walls began, undertaken as a matter of utmost urgency. For that reason, instead of modernizing the medieval walls by replacing them by bastioned ones, during these first years only the old defences were reinforced, by adding ravelins in front of the towers and the doors. The external fortifications of the head of the bridge and Saint Christopher's and Pardaleras's Forts were built with a new floor and a now bastioned typology.
In Israel Silvestre´s drawing from the end of the 17th century the external fortification, “hornabeque”, appears on the forefront of the head of the bridge.
The View of Lorenzo Possi of 1668 shows the medieval wall reinforced with ravelins and stockades.
The external fortification of the head of the bridge and Saint Christopher's Fort in 1811.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the The aerial photography of 1914 shows Palmas Door was still connected to the wall the complex system of the external and it had access ramps and an external corps fortification on the city's west area. of guards. Javier García Ramos Collection.
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The new bastioned wall (1680-1700).
Improvements and annexes (18th and 19th centuries).
After the War of Portugal, the complete replacement of the medieval wall by a new bastioned fortification was dealt with. In this process it was necessary to eliminate ‘San Salvador’’s district, in the slope of the castle, because it was too exposed to the enemy's fire. The old Mérida’s door was preserved, delaying it until the new drawing, and two new doors were opened near the old ones: the ‘La Trinidad’ (the Trinity) and ‘El Pilar’ (The Pillar) doors. Although in many projects it was contemplated to completely remove the castle and to build a new citadel on the top of the city, the lack of funds finally prevented the accomplishment of these plans.
Throughout the entire 18th century, continuous improvements were carried out in the city's fortifications. The military engineers projected and carried out the deepening of moats, the improvement of the covered ways, the reinforcement and thickening of the bastions’ walls and they equipped it with galleries of fusiliers. The most important works were carried out in the East area of the ‘Plaza’, where two advanced forts were built: the Prince or ‘Picuriña’ fort and the Trinity or ‘San Roque’ Ravelins. With a few modifications, that was the wall that made it to the 20th century.
ROUTE OF THE BASTIONED FORTIFICATIONS
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PALMAS DOOR It was built during the first half of the 21st century on the old medieval wall and then it was added to the modern fortification.
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SAN VICENTE’S BASTION Its moats and ravelins are almost intact, nowadays it has been restored to an outdoors auditorium.
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EL PILAR DOOR The fortification's main door, protected by Pardaleras fort, stands near the Jerez or Santa Marina medieval door.
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MONUMENTAL ENCLOSURE OF LA ALCAZABA SAN AGUSTIN CONVENT PLAZA ALTA (HIGH SQUARE) ESPANTAPERROS TOWER LA CONCEPCIÓN CHURCH CATHEDRAL
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THE TRINITY'S BASTION AND REMAINS OF THE MEDIEVAL WALL One of the city's main doors was open on one of its flanks. It was bombed and attacked by the English troops following the orders of Wellington in the 1812 siege. Remains of the old medieval wall are preserved in its inside.
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LA TRINIDAD OR SAN ROQUE RAVELINS Designed by the engineer Diego de Bordick in 1735, it was taken by the English troops in the 1812 siege. Nowadays, it contains a youth hostel built in 2012.
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AREA OF INTEREST: SAN PEDRO’S AND LA TRINIDAD’S BASTIONS SAN PEDRO’S BASTION BUILDING OF SAN PEDRO’S BASTION 1705 SIEGE SAN PEDRO’S GALLERY OF FUSILIERS. ARTILLERY BATTERY BUILDING OF THE TRINITY'S BASTION LISTENING CHAMBER THE DEFENCE OF THE TRINITY'S BREACH MEDIEVAL DOOR AND WALL GUARD CORPS LA TRINIDAD CONVENT LA TRINIDAD BASTION
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SAN PEDRO’S BASTION AND GALLERY OF FUSILIERS It was attacked by the Portuguese troops in the 1705 siege. It preserves a gallery of fusiliers that can be visited. Its moat was very much modified by the gardens created in the middle of 20th century.
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AREA OF INTEREST: SAN CRISTÓBAL FORT PRESENTATION ELEMENTS OF THE BASTIONED FORTIFICATION GLACIS AND COVERED WAY MOAT AND RAVELIN WERLÉ'S SMALL BASTION WARS OF PORTUGAL (1657-58) 1st FRENCH SIEGE/’SANTA ENGRACIA’ 3rd SIEGE - 1811 BREACHES 1811 GORGET AND INSCRIPTION GUARD CORPS PLACE OF ARMS AND RESERVOIR MODERN BUILDINGS EMBRASURES HISTORIC LANDSCAPE
San Antonio’s half bastion is the point where the bastion fortifications are connected to the Islamic wall of the castle, closing the Alpendiz door.
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AREA OF INTEREST: HORNABEQUE HORNABEQUE EMBRASURE BRIDGE SAN VICENTE’S DOOR COVERED WAY AND SIDEWALK WATCHTOWER AND MOAT PARAPET AND OLD DOOR SOURCE OF THE FROG
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HORNABEQUE It started to be built in 1663 to defend the access to the city through the bridge of Palmas.
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SAN CRISTÓBAL FORT It was the fortification's main external defence. Nowadays, it holds the Visitors Centre and it is the site of social and cultural events.