28. Charles V Castle in Hondarribia:
1-Ground floor roof;
2-Covered way;
3-Sentry post;
4-Upper gun battery;
5-Powder magazine;
6-Stairs;
7-Salle d'Armes;
8-Vestuary store;
9-Corps de garde;
10-Unused room;
11-Stables;
12-Vestibule;
13-Dungeons;
14-Wood-shed;
15-Latrine;
16-Kitchen;
17-Courtyard;
18-Courtyard of the Artillery Park;
19-Bomb-proof store;
20-Entrance to the Artillery Park;
21-Artillery tackle store;
22-Bomb-proof store;
23-Trap door for hoisting supplies up to the upper battery;
24-Barracks;
A) First floor;
B) Second floor;
C) Third floor;
C) Fourth floor.© Juan Antonio Sáez

The castle stands on the top of the hill containing the old city of Hondarribia. It has a strong original nucleus arranged around a square courtyard. Some remains of the mediaeval circular towers can still be seen.

The most important enlargement was made during the reign of Charles V, when a severe palatial facade was added to the Parade Square. During the eighteenth century the five storeys of this section of the building were used as barracks for 850 soldiers, and a battery was built on the roof, linked by a stairs to the roof of the older part of the building. The "Artillery Park " was a one-storey L-shaped annex incorporating bomb-proof gunpowder stores, a courtyard and an underground room.

The castle was extensively damaged by the French army in 1794. In the early twentieth century the ruins were auctioned off, and remained in private hands until 1928. In 1968 it was restored as a Parador (state-run hotel).

29. Inner yard of Charles V Castle (around 1930).© Pascual Martín

30. Main facade of Charles V Castle, surmounted by an artillery battery.© Gorka Agirre

31. Charles V Castle. In this lateral view the enlargement made by Charles V (right) and the older building (left) can clearly be differentiated.© Gorka Agirre

32. Overview of the walled city. The city is dominated by the Charles V Castle (left) and the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption. Model.© Gorka Agirre