The fort above the town of Figueres offers sweeping views of the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees. Built in the 18th Century to protect Spain against the French, the complex housed over 6,000 soldiers. Named after King Fernando VI, the installation has an outer diameter of about 2 miles and covers a total of 80 acres. The fort is an irregular octagon which is surrounded by a double wall, and has numerous bastions, moats, and drawbridges.
The cisterns located under the parade ground are particularly surprising, storing a supply of 9 million gallons of water (the catacombs can be explored by boat). It is the largest building in Catalonia and the biggest bastion fort built in Europe in the 18th century. In 1927, Salvador Dalí did his military service in the Castell de Sant Ferran.
A large part of the compound was out of bounds, but what we could see was most impressive! Definitely a must see if you get to this neck of the woods.
Peace, my friends!
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