Castell Montjuic

Defense fort of Barcelona - an old military fortress, with roots dating back from 1640, built on top of Montjuïc hill

In the last 350 years Montjuïc Castle has played a decisive role in the history of Barcelona, becoming a symbol after the Catalan defeat to Spain in 1714, date that has become of significant importance. Since then the Montjuïc cannons have bombarded the city and its citizens on various occasions, and Montjuïc has been used as a prison and torture centre repeatedly for three centuries.

During Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939), both sides of the conflict imprisoned, tortured and shot political prisoners at Montjuïc (appr. 1,500 people imprisoned and about 250 were executed), among them Lluís Companys, who was the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia during that time. Companys was executed upon orders from the Spanish State at the Castle in 1940. (see last photo)Read more