Castillo de San Gabriel, Arrecife, Lanzarote

This is the Castillo de San Gabriel on the coast of the Lanzarote town of Arrecife. It's one of two castles in the town, the other being the Castillo de San José (though we never managed to find that castle).

Built in 1574 to defend the harbour at Arrecife, the small fortress has two cannon at the front door. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in 1586 by the Algerian Pirate Morato Arraez. The current castle dates back to a reconstruction project undertaken in 1592 to a design by the Italian architect Leonardo Torriani.

There are two wonderful stone bridges leading out to the island that the Castillo de San Gabriel sits on. One is a solid stone bridge, and the other has a disused drawbridge. The town of Arrecife is incredibly picturesque and has a more authentic Spanish feel compared to the nearby resorts of Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise. It actually reminded me vaguely of the Spanish town of Torrevieja that we visited last year.

published by gerard on 14 July, 2011 - 15:31

Comments for Castillo de San Gabriel, Arrecife, Lanzarote

By Jules (not verified) on 15 July, 2011 - 00:11

The other castle is further along the waterfront in Arrecife, situated overlooking Puerto Naos the main port for the island. It is now the International Museum of Contemporary Art and has some interesting exhibitions as well as a bar/ restaurant.

I liked your photo of Castillo San Gabriel, this castle is currently being converted to be the history museum of Arrecife.

 

By gerard on 15 July, 2011 - 13:12

Thanks for commenting, Jules. We had a wonderful time in Arrecife - I actually prefer the small towns to the more crowded resort areas! Shame we didn't get a chance to investigate the town in more detail, but we really enjoyed our stay!

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