The Wall - Cartagena de Indias
The old city of Cartagena, its
historic center, is rounded by a 4km wall in order to
protect the city from attacks made by enemies of the crown
and aggressive pirates. We must remember that during the
colonial period, Cartagena was considered as the largest
port of America and boats leaved with large richness and
fabulous treasures to Spain.
The
enclosures of the wall were also to separate rich people
from poor people that could only come in to go work in the
city. The walls are complemented by fortresses on the
coast such as the fort San Sebastien del Pastelillo
and the fort San Fernando. Between 1595 and 1597,
the governor Pedro de Acuna built a belt of walls and
ramparts under the plans of Bautista Antonelli in order to
give the city a more urban look. However in 1614, under
the orders of the
engineer
Cristobal de Rada, the walls were remade to arrive, thirty
years later, to what we see today with the big thickness
of the walls and all around the city. More, Francisco de
Murga, was charged of the fortresses of the quarter in
front of Getsemani between 1631 and 1633. Finally, in the
XVII century, the construction of a dam between the island
of Tierrabomba and the point of El Laguito to protect from
tides and pirates. Many ramparts can be visited on the
wall around the historic center and also in Getsemani.
How to visit the wall of
Cartagena?
- City tour
- Carriage center historic tour
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