It also includes a good sample of botanical species, various monuments, a fortress on the top turned into a viewpoint, and an open-air museum of the castreño town , the origin of the town. It has a total area of ??21 hectares.
History
The space was formerly the site of an old fortified town ( castro ) of which a part excavated in different archaeological interventions can be seen today, with several circular (pre-Roman) and quadrangular (form from Romanization ) constructions. The Castro of Vigo is dated between the 6th century BC to the 2nd century AD. The castreño world coincides with the so-called Iron Age in Galicia and the Romanization at its dawn. 3 In the park you can also contemplate the remains of one of the seventeenth century fortifications that were part of - along with the nextCastillo de San Sebastián and the walls that surrounded the old city- from the defensive structure of Vigo.
Monte del Castro is the point of origin of the city of Vigo, the place where the first settlers settled. Thus we can find castreño remains dated from the 2nd to the 3rd century BC. Today some 45 stone constructions are still preserved on the right side of the mountain.
In the Middle Ages , the Castro castle was built that crowns the top of the mountain, now converted into a viewpoint. In it we can find the monument dedicated to the Vigo thrust and the stonemasons. In 1934 the mountain was ceded to the city of Vigo by the Ministry of War . It was decided to convert it into a park so ornamental and exotic tree species were planted. At that time the fort is excavated.
In the early years of the 21st century, the archaeological excavation was restored and turned into an open-air museum.
Features
Vigo is defined by the slope of its streets facing the sea, the Castro mount (149 m) is one of those high points of the city from which the entire estuary can be seen.
On the west side, there is the fort that gives its name to the enclosure. The prehistoric town is surprising due to its proximity to the houses. It is partially excavated with a predominance of circular buildings. This part of the park is occupied by extensive pine trees.
Undoubtedly, the top of the mountain presided over by the fortress that is preserved in its entirety is one of the points of greatest interest. On its perimeter there are multiple elements of the old defensive construction in a landscaped space with a central fountain. From the viewpoint there is a good panoramic view over the bay.
Up to this contour there is a botanical trail of more than thirty different species marked. It extends mainly along the southern side and the Paseo de Rosalía de Castro , which surrounds the center of the park and connects several hotel establishments.
In addition to the walks, the Castro contains a large number of urban leisure facilities. On the eastern slope or Paseo de los Cedros is the children's recreation area called Charlie Rivel Park , where there is a skating and skate rink , a bicycle track-circuit with traffic lights, two playgrounds, two cafeterias, a park botanist and a small pond with ducks .
Natural heritage
El Castro is a magnificent botanical park , with a great variety of both native and foreign species. It should be noted that the mountain was completely bare until the middle of the 20th century , as shown in old photographs, especially of the cattle fair that was held where today the Plaza del Rey and the town hall are located . It was covered with shrubbery Atlantic as uces , queiroas , gorse or Xestas .
At the time that it was studied as a park, ornamental species began to be planted , today converted into outstanding examples of pines , cedars and mainly camellias . We also found tileros (principally on the rides), carballos , gingko , etc.
With regard to the fauna, in addition to numerous birds, sometimes squirrels and even a small nocturnal bird of prey called the eared owl are seen .
Historical artistic heritage
High park of the fortress and viewpoint.
In the park there are about twenty sculptures. There is a monument dedicated to Curros Enríquez , one of the greatest representatives of Galician literature of the 19th century ; a monument dedicated to the medieval troubadour Martín Codax , as well as different stone pieces of animals, such as a bear or a giraffe. Perhaps the most representative monument in the park is the one dedicated to the Battle of Rande in 1702, a small pond with three large anchors found in the Rande Strait complete with five cannons recovered from shipwrecked ships in the estuary.. In the part facing the Plaza del Rey and the avenue de las Camelias is the controversial Cruz de los Caídos, a Francoist monument in honor of those who died during the Spanish Civil War, with its large staircase that ascends to the foot of the fortress. . At the top of the fortress, in the middle of a pond, is the monument "Al Empuje Vigués", by Camilo Nogueira Martínez (1969).
It is also worth mentioning the existence of underground passageways that communicated with different points of the seventeenth century town and that served as a point of executions during the Spanish civil war .
At the top of the mountain there was a 20th century building, crenelated and attached to the fortress (called "El Castillo"), which until a few years ago was a well-known restaurant in the city. Since the end of the 20th century, it was in ruins and hid part of the wall. At the end of 2013, by order of the Vigo City Council, the demolition of the building began.
Fortress
The Castro castle , from the 16th century, was part of the city's defensive system. It was built in the Middle Ages at the same time as the castle of San Sebastián and the fortress that joined both fortifications. The Castro fortress was made up of three walled enclosures. At present, only the first enclosure and part of the second are preserved; the third, which would be the city ??wall , disappeared in its entirety. The first enclosure is the fortress that crowns the top of the Castro, now converted into a viewpoint. The second enclosure is the fortress of San Sebastián, currently occupied by the Plaza del Rey and the town hall. Passageways and tunnels were found that connected the castles with each other and with the city.
It has a polygonal shape and is built in granite . It is open to the public, being one of the most interesting places in the park. On one side by the viewpoint, with excellent views of the estuary , on the other, by the botanical route and the gardens of the upper part, where the fountain and the sculpture of the "push from Vigo" by Camilo Nogueira Martínez , symbol of the town.
The fortress is under protection of Spanish Historical Heritage .
Castreño town
Galician town inhabited between the 2nd century BC and the 3rd century AD , it has three reconstructed houses and several explanatory panels. Since February 2010 it has been open to public visits.
Tourism
Although there are motorized accesses, the main ascent on foot starts from the Plaza del Rey together with the town hall, where until the 1970s the castle of San Sebastián was preserved , of which only fragments of the wall are visible today. A long staircase with landings and viewpoints provide a leisurely ascent.
Services: Castro, fortress. Viewpoints. Childish games. Botanical signs (Leafy Route). Picnic areas. Parking. The park is always open to the public for free. The visit to the castreño remains has a schedule:
Winter hours (October - April): Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the mornings and from 4 to 6 p.m. in the afternoons.
Summer hours (May - September): Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the mornings and from 5 to 7 p.m. in the afternoons.
Free guided visits: Citizen information telephone 010.
(
visit link)