CASTILLO MUSEO SAN CARLOS
At the beginning of the year 1600 the members of the Merchants' College began to consider the need to build a fort that protects the port of Palma from the west, in the vicinity of what was an old Roman port called Porto Pi. The new fortification was built on the site of a watchtower, whose existence is known by paintings (such as Pere Nissart and engravings of the time). The tower was embedded in the new construction maintaining the function of lighthouse or lantern. In 1663, the castle was extended from the initial rectangular core, preserving it, thus building a circumvallation with four other great bastions and acquiring its peculiar irregular star-shaped polygon shape During the War of Succession, some defensive constructions were added in the outside, facing the sea.
In 1981 its rehabilitation began to turn it into a museum that sheltered the funds coming from the recently closed Artillery Park. With other funds from the Army Museum, the units of the Balearic Military Zone and private donations, the Castle Museum of San Carlos was finally inaugurated on September 26, 1991. In 1994, with the help of several public entities and private, including the Association of Friends of the Castle of San Carlos, the museum was equipped with two new rooms and the entrance and lighting of the building was improved. In 1997, the Castillo de San Carlos Consortium was created, which manages the museum and includes the Ministry of Defense, the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Insular Council of Mallorca and the City Council of Palma.
