Castell de Sant Ferran

The Castell de Sant Ferran stands on Monte Tossal, above Alicante, and is the younger of the two major fortifications overlooking the city. It was built between 1808 and 1812, during the Peninsular War, to a design by the Seville-born military engineer Pablo Ordovás, with construction formally starting in 1809. The fortification joined the Castillo de Santa Bárbara as the city's second major defensive point, at a time when Napoleon's occupation of much of Spain forced coastal towns along the Mediterranean to reinforce their defences.

A fortress that never fought

The castle was built to complete the city's defensive line, guard against a possible French landing in the bay, and protect the San Blas flank. It also served as a prison for French soldiers captured during the conflict. Despite the scale of the project, however, it never saw combat: French forces withdrew from the area before any engagement took place, and the castle passed directly from urgent military project to monument without ever fulfilling its original purpose.

Architecture and views

Its design, irregular and adapted to the rugged terrain of the Tossal, includes bastions, curtain walls and a moat running around much of the site, a very different approach from the city's other major castle, the Castillo de Santa Bárbara, which is much older and sits on a different hill. From the top of Sant Ferran there are wide views over the harbour and the Barrio de Santa Cruz, which is why it also features in the best viewpoints near Alicante guide. The nearby Parc de l'Ereta offers a pleasant walking route between both castles for anyone wanting to see them on the same day, climbing up on one side of the hill and coming back down again on the other without doubling back on the same paths.