Castle
Cistern
The water supply has always been one of the most serious problems for any type of fortification, especially since there is no source inside. The only solution was the cisterns. Water intended for human consumption was collected from the roofs of buildings. For other uses, such as watering horses or cooling cannons, the water was used, whenever possible, from the dams of roads or ditches. Hostalric Castle has four cisterns. The only one that can b…
Counterguard
A counterguard is a fortified exterior work formed by two angles that form an angle built in front of the bastions to cover the fronts. Like the Revellí, this counterguard was designed to perform the function of external defensive work, but the nine necessities of giving wheeled access to the fortress integrated it into the main body.…
Santa Barbara Bastion
Santa Bàrbara is the smallest of the fortified buildings of the fortress and the only one that can be properly considered a bastion in a theoretical and traditional sense. The bastions are built with one of the points pointed outwards towards the outside of the fortress, so that the cannons that defend them make it possible to strike a wide front of attack. The bastions used to be baptized with the names of saints. Santa Barbara is the patron sa…
Baluard Major
The Baluard Major is the largest in the fortress. It could hold up to eleven large-caliber mortar cannons, being one of the best artillery in the country at the time. To keep him in service he needed about seventy men. Today, much of the bastion is in ruins, making it difficult to recognize the original building. Carolin, Hostalric local guide, introduce this site and its volcanic origin. Do you want to know about it? Visit us, Carolin is waitin…
Clock tower
Originally in the current clock tower, an optical telegraphy system operated to receive and send signals. Between 1848 and 1850, several lines were drawn in Catalonia to maintain the communication of the country's garrisons with Barcelona. The line that connects the city of Condal with Girona passes through Hostalric and goes to Vic. This transmission system worked until 1862. Today the tower is used as the bell tower of the town.…
Saw tooth
The name of this element is due to an acute angle of the edge. This kind of construction was used when the ruggedness of the ground did not allow a traditional bastion. In the centre of the embankment of the saw tooth youi will find the entrance to mtwo tunnels. The right one takes you down to the moat, the left one to the so-called laboratory of mixtures. The ramp of the main building goes to the highest part to the castle. Below there ara…
Virtual tour
By means of this VIRTUAL VISIT, we invite you to take a tour around the main parts of Hostalric's castle and see some works and objects exhibited there by means of panoramic photos. This is just an aperitif of the castle. Come and visit us to discover all aorund Hostalric castle. …
Carriage Gate
The Carriage Gate, built in the 18th century, was the main entrance to the inner works of the fortress. The bridge situated just in front of the gateway, originally a drawbridge, was built to connect the covered way to the ravelin and the counterguard and enable the access of carriages and the like. This large gateway was built to enclose this space and eventually became known as the Carriage Gateway. The bridge was defended by means of loopholes…
Moat
The moat was dug out of the rock and surrounded two thirds of the castle. It presented attacking forces with an added difficulty since once they had conquered the covered way (the present-day road), they had to go down into the moat and attempt to climb the wall. It should be pointed out that it was a dry moat, since any rainwater that fell was collected in the cistern of the covered way.…
Guardhouse
Building inside the counterguard composed of two half-buried rooms with a small annex for the officer. The guardhouse had different uses. The building at the back served as a provisional gunpowder magazine while the building closest to the Carriage Gateway had two floors and contained the guardhouse, the cells and the troops’ quarters. Today it is used as an interpretation centre with an audio-visual display and an interactive scale model of th…
Bastion of Santa Tecla
The bastion is the dominant element of modern fortresses, given that the rest of the fortification is structured around it. Bastions are pentagonal structures that project outward from the main body of the fortification. Their basic function was to cover the blind spots that could be caused by other elements. That is why they all had sentry posts at their most acute angle and cannon embrasures looking out in different directions. Bastions with fo…
Small gunpowder magazine
This small gunpowder magazine was used to load explosive projectiles. Today it forms part of the Fortress Interpretation Centre. Located outside the main enclosure, it was built during the War of the Pyrenees (1793-1795) for the purpose of loading explosives such as mortar bombs, shells and other war materials used at the time.…
Main gunpowder magazine
The first gunpowder magazine to be built in the fortress was placed above the bastion of Santa Bàrbara. This gunpowder magazine was constructed after the War of the Spanish Succession (1713-1715). It could hold up to 25,000 kilos of gunpowder. It was used to store gunpowder and the explosive materials of the castle and had a structure composed of buttresses, small vents in the walls of the building and a surrounding wall. Its structure has been…
Bomb-proof gallery
The bomb-proof gallery is located close to the main gunpowder magazine. It’s about three hundred metres along and constitutes the main passageway between the lower section of the enclosure and the main bastion. The bomb-proof gallery ensured the transport of goods and people completely under cover. It was used for key services such as the bakery or hospital, and even to accommodate troops when the fortress was under siege. During the Peninsular…
Ravelin
A ravelin is a triangular defensive structure situated in front the inner works of the fortress, normally on the other side of a moat. Its purpose was to divide an assault force and protect the curtain walls by means of crossfire. These triangular structures were placed outside the main enclosure of the fortress. Paco, Hostalric local guide, tells you about one of the sites of Hostalric's Castle: the ravelin. Do you want to know about it? Visit…
Socors gate and medieval town path
This had served as the main entrance to the fortress. However, it became a secondary entrance when the Carriage Gateway was built. The path connected the walled town to the castle. In fact, to reach the castle from the town, it was necessary to pass through three gates, each of which was protected by defences.…
Cavalier and parade ground
In all fortresses, the parade ground was the central area around which the other facilities of the fortress were arranged. Furthermore, given that it was a large, outdoor area, it served as a training and/or recreational zone for soldiers. It was also were the garrison ceremonies were held and the main cistern of the fortress was located underneath it. The cavalier occupies the area of the old Cabrera Castle. Its high position make it the most im…
