the view to the north
a line-up of coats of arms related to the history of Alicante
the engineer's barracks, now part of the Musa museum
from the keep you have a splendid view of Alicante's port
the tunnel leads to the elevator that brings you right up to the castle
of the many entrances to the castle this one is the easiest
a nice way to exit the castle to the old town is via the west wall
inside the Barracks of the Troops you can now play boardgames
the ruins of the chapel Ermita de Santa Barbara
the mozaic above the gate
Santa Barbara castle covers most of the top of Mount Benancil and forms a picture-perfect background for Alicante's
mondaine Playa del Postiguet beach.
At a height
of 166 m above sealevel the castle provides a magnificent panorama of Alicante and its surroundings.
The castle was
built by the Moors in the 9th century and over the next centuries saw its fair share of military action between ever changing belligerents.
One
notable feat was in 1708 when French troops commanded by
Claude Francois Bidal dug a tunnel under the castle and
detonated a large mine, killing 150 English defenders over dinner.
After the 18th century the castle slowly lost
its strategic importance and over time was abandoned or used as a prison.
Since 1963 the castle is open to the public,
an elevator was built inside the mountain for easier access and it became the home of the
Musa, the museum
about Alicante's rich history.
The last time we visited Santa Barbara castle was in November 2017
Playa del Postiguet, Mount Benancil and Santa Barbara Castle in one picture
can you see La Cara del Moro aka the Face of the Moor?
the Santa Catalina gate
looking down from the keep (Macho del Castillo) on the top of the enginer's barracks
looking back to the south side of Santa Barbara
looking west, note the Plaza de toros de Alicante
