Castillo de San Fernando (Figueres)

A visit to the Castle of San Fernando in Figueres (Girona)—built in 1752 to protect Spain’s border against a potential attack from France, the dominant power in Europe at the time—reveals a tribute in the stables to General Álvarez de Castro. He defended the city of Girona but was ultimately defeated and tortured to death by invading troops. One can also see the destruction of certain parts of the fortification, caused by the Republican side during the Civil War in 1939; they chose to blow up the powder magazine—where large quantities of explosives were stored—which resulted in the inevitable destruction of much of the entrance and several sections of the complex.